Cruel Angel
by MoonlightShadowMaiden
Summary: Sakura's back stronger than ever with six admirers at her feet. Who will she choose? The Akatsuki, the Uchihas and the Kazekage are doing all they can to win the kunoichi's heart, but in the end who will capture her heart? Sakuraxmany and slight other.
1. Ancient History

Discalimer: I don't own Naruto

Summary: Sakura's changed… but was it for the better or for the worst? Sasuke's jealousy strikes up when his brother gets feelings for his ex teammate… and what about Sasori and Deidara?!

Chapter 1: Ancient History

_**Never… never again will I shed a tear for him… ever**_

_Name: Haruno Sakura  
Age: 12 years old  
Abilities:__Superhuman strength_

_One month ago, Sasuke Uchiha, one of the last Uchiha members alive… became a missing-nin._

"Sakura," The Hokage whispered as she looked onto her student. She sighed deeply, "Why did you have to do that?" she asked. Then a loud banging noise could be heard outside the special room that was _supposed_ to be noise-proof. "SAKURA!" someone yelled, and broke down the door.

Tsunade had enough of all this screaming and was popping veins from her head, "Shut up Naruto, this is a hospital!" she yelled at him. Naruto cowered in a corner, "Sorry, I just wanted to see how Sakura-chan is doing." He said sadly. Tsunade turned to look at him, "What did you really come here for?" she asked seriously. He frowned, "I just… came here to… say goodbye." He said sadly.

Tsunade closed her eyes, "After you're done come to my office for a minute." She said, waved and left the room. Naruto sat in the chair right next to the bed and smiled sadly, "Hi Sakura… I'm gonna leave today… but I promise that I will bring Sasuke back." He said to the sleeping girl. "I… I don't know what to say anymore… I'm… sorry. For what you ask… even I don't know, I thought that it was the right thing to say for now."

He cried, "I'm gonna miss you Sakura-chan, be strong while I'm gone." He whispered in her ear and kissed her on the forehead. He then got something out from is pocket and also a single rose made of crystal. He placed it on the bedside table with the nicely wrapped item. "Please… don't cry anymore." He said as he left the room and went his way to the Hokage tower.

When he got there he asked the first question that was swarming in his mind, "How did this happen?" he asked. Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes, "She tried to kill herself." She said simply getting right to the point. It took a while for that information to sink in into his thick head but when it did, "WHAT?!" then Tsunade hit him on the head. He rubbed the bump forming, "The Sakura-chan I know would've never done that!"

"I know… that's why I'm worried. She's not gonna leave my sight for the time being. She cut herself with a kunai on her wrist. If I didn't catch it while she was working two days ago… she would've died from infection and blood-loss. Cutting yourself is the symptom of depression, and we all know what the cause is for it is." Tsunade explained. Naruto looked sad, "Yeah… just take good care of her. Right now is when 

she is most vulnerable. She still needs protection for the time being." He said wisely. Tsunade looked at him, "You really like her don't you?" she asked. "Well, yeah, she's my friend. I would do anything for her." He said. "That's why you promised her that you'd bring Sasuke back?" she asked. "Yeah," he said sadly then they heard a knocking on the window.

They looked over and there was Jiraya, Tsunade opened the window, "I'm here to pick up the kid." He said. She nodded and Naruto jumped on the window sill, "Bye Tsunade Baa-chan!" he said as he jumped onto Gamabunta. Tsunade just watched them leave Konoha, "A ninja never goes back on his word… That means I'm gonna take care of her Naruto… don't you worry." She said and she leaned on the window watching the sunset.

The next morning, Tsunade made her early morning check-ups on the patients. Most people from the Orochimaru attack have been successfully healed; the ones left are the ninjas' who were injured due to recent missions. She finished her roundly check-up and got to the door which says, "_**Haruno Sakura**_" She entered quietly, but she was already awake and sitting up in bed.

Sakura made no movement whatsoever to look at her; she just sat there looking in space. Tsunade approached softly, she noticed that the food brought to her was still untouched, "Sakura, you must eat something, you haven't eaten in three days, please." She pleaded. Sakura made no movement; she just sat up straight like a statue. "Where's Naruto." She finally asked, her eyes becoming blurry.

Tsunade looked at the ground, "He already left for his training yesterday." She said. "Where's Kakashi-sensei?" she asked again. "He left for a mission two days ago." She answered. Sakura's bangs covered her eyes, but the tears flowed. Tsunade gasped every tear that fell, a second before touching the bedspread… it turned to crystal.

"Where is everybody?" she asked quietly. Tsunade approached the crying girl, and took her in her arms, "Sakura, its okay… there's all coming back." She tried to comfort her. "Every body abandoned me because I'm weak." She said. "I'm worthless… Sasuke's right, I'm useless, weak… annoying." She finished and cried more crystal tears. Soon enough she went back to sleep and Tsunade went to the Haruno residence.

It was a palace, it was smaller than the Uchihas' or Hyuugas' mansion, but it was way bigger than the normal house. It has been abandoned for a long time. Actually… it has been abandoned for six years. Tsunade opened the rusty gates and went inside; once she got there she went to the garden. There were two graves near a sakura tree.

She went over to it and watered the tree and the flowers around it. After that, she kneeled down in front of one of the graves. "Yuri… I'm sorry I couldn't protect your daughter. I'm supposed to be taking care of her. The problem is… I'm not you. You always knew what to do. I cannot be exactly like you… but I just don't know what to do anymore in this situation."

She looked at the graves marked,

__

'_**Yuri Haruno'  
Beloved mother to many people  
throughout the years in Konoha  
May your soul forever be in peace**_

'_**Fuji Mizuka'  
Beloved father to Sakura Haruno  
Your strong will forver be a part  
Of Konoha**_

Tsunade sighed, "I think now, more than ever, is when she should know. Yuri… Fuji… I am going to tell her the truth behind her clan's disappearance once and for all." She stated. Then, a white light flashed before her. She slowly opened her eyes, and she fainted.

Tsunade got off the ground, and looked around her… nothing but white. Then a slender woman wearing a light blue kimono with pink petals on it appeared; she had long, long pink hair, "Yuri…" Tsunade breathed out. Yuri smiled kindly, _"Tsunade… I thank you for looking over Sakura, but I think now is not the time to tell her… how her clan died. She is too young." Yuri explained._

"Yuri, she will be forever young to you. You are her mother, and she needs to know why you left her!" Tsunade said sternly. Yuri looked down, "She mustn't know just yet. She still needs to heal; on her 13th birthday… all will be revealed to her; the secret of the Haruno Clan, the Haruno Clan's powers… and the Haruno Clan's death." She stated coldly. Tsunade just sighed, "She will be thirteen in a year, one year. She's already asked me if she could become my apprentice last week."

"I know that your motherly skills are better than mine so I trust you. In one year all will be revealed to her, right Yuri? No more than one year, **on** her 13th birthday." Tsunade confirmed. Yuri nodded, and everything went back to the way it was supposed to be. Tsunade was now standing outside the Haruno Residence with the gates locked before her. "Yuri… Fuji… I hope you two know what you're doing to your daughter…"

_Sakura…_

_My mother Yuri Haruno translated as Lily, she was calm and gentle but when holding an arm she can be deadly. She had very long red-ish pink hair that reached the back of her knees and striking blue eyes. My father, Fuji Mizawa translated as wisteria was strong; he had white hair but that was his natural hair color; but it was forgotten once you see his elegant green eyes tat sparked with fire. He was always worried about me and mother. I was born with a weak heart at first and my mother's health wasn't too good either._

_I got the best treatment there was in Konoha and soon my body and health were as good as new, if I take my medications of course. Even now when I'm 12, I still do; I told no one about my illnesses. I thought that if they knew they would treat me differently instead of a real human being._

_Today was my 7__th__ birthday and I couldn't wait for my presents and cake._

_I came back from school as usual and picked some flowers up to give mother and some new writing materials for father. I went inside the house to see that it was dark, usually at that time mother would be inside the kitchen and father would be reading the news in the living room. I searched for anyone in the house but found no one. _

_I carefully went through the hallway when I saw a stain on the floor; I looked at it closely… blood. There were drops of blood leading somewhere. I followed it, and then saw one of the maids dead on the floor covered in blood with three kunais sticking out of her back. I heard a scream coming from my parent's room. I opened it carefully and my eyes widened… they were both holding swords and killed another maid right before my eyes._

_I gasped and they turned to me… their eyes were red and they had fangs. I couldn't believe it…_

_I saw my parents trying to kill me. They were under a spell, they were cursed by a demon and the demon took over their minds. I knew it… yesterday I had a premonition in my mind telling me that something was out there. It was my inner-self; it told me to keep watch but I discarded her warnings. I tried to run out of the room but the doors closed shut behind me. Then… "Sakura!" that's all I heard. I blacked out and didn't wake up till the next morning._

_I saw my parent's bodies on the ground. My mother was holding my hand and smiling, she had a golden arrow pierced through her heart. She was holding something. It seems like she was trying to give it to me. I took it and it seemed to be a clear crystal cherry blossom made of diamond that said Sakura in gold lining on the back. I touched it and it glowed green. Then my mother's hologram appeared and talked to me…_

"_My darling daughter… I am sorry. If you hear this that must mean I must be in the other world already. I just wanted you to know that I love you very much and I apologize for everything. You probably don't know it but your father took my family's name instead of the other way. Your father was a Guardian Knight… and you my child just like me are a Guardian Maiden. _

_The Guardian Maidens are girls who rid the world of demons. The flower made of crystal, in it is the Amethyst, one of the Gems that hold the world together. There are five of them in the world and you have been chosen as the leader with the Amethyst. You must talk to Tsunade; her phone number is in your emergency cell phone number. She will help you find the people who are your servitors. The other four will protect you with their own lives._

_I am so sorry to leave you like this but… I have left you some things that you cannot inherit until you are at the age of 13. If you look in my secret closet compartment that I showed you, you will find a box. In that box is a scroll to the hidden treasures and techniques of the Haruno family. It will know when you are 13 years old and will open automatically then the scroll will show you where to go."_

"_I love you very much, and take care of yourself…" the jutsu said._

Sakura looked out the window, 'I don't even know who my four protectors are.' She thought that's when she heard the door go _click_. She just looked at the intruder through the corner of her eyes. "Ino…" 

Ino came in and sat on the bed. "Sakura… I umm… just came here to tell you something very, very, very important." She said Hinata and Tenten came into the room fidgeting.

"Well, what we wanted to say is that umm…" They fidgeted once more before taking out something from their pockets and showing them to Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened, "You three are…" Tenten put her hands up, "Yup, caught red handed we are Guardian Maidens, in charge of protecting the Guardian of the Amethyst." She said.

Ino stepped up, "Ino, Guardian of the Ruby of Fire" Then Hinata followed suit, "Hinata, Guardian of the Sapphire of Water." And last but not least, "Tenten, Guardian of the Onyx of Earth." Then Tsunade came in, "I see you've finally figured out you four. I've known from the beginning, but I decided to see what happens, but… you guys don't really talk to each other to know." She said exasperated. "Anyways, I've found you four but I should remind you that there are supposed to be five Guardians not four. It's your job to find it as the leader." Tsunade said looking at Sakura.

Sakura just looked stunned, "okay…" she said slowly. Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Why don't you get out of here and go have some fun, there aren't any missions today. Take the day off Sakura; I won't need any help today, just some boring paperwork." She sighed. Sakura lightened up a little bit and smiled, "Thank you Tsunade-sama." She bowed and the others followed her out of the hospital. Tsunade looked at the closed door, "That's all she really needs right now, some friends she can count onto… not people who disappear every once in a while."

The girls laughed all the way to Ichiraku's ramen shop, and commanded the special girl's ramen. While they ate they wondered, "Who could the fifth member be?" Tenten asked looking hungrily at her bowl. "It could be any girl in Konoha… or anywhere else." Ino answered. "It will take us a while to find out who it will be." Sakura being quiet all this time, "I take it Tsunade-sama told you who I am." She said, everyone looked at her and answered yes.

"Who told you, you guys were Guardian Maidens." She asked. Hinata spoke up, "My mother… a month ago on my 12th birthday." She said. Tenten finished her bowl, "five months ago on my 12th birthday." She answered. After Ino commanded another bowl, "Me, two weeks ago on my 12th birthday." She said and smiled when her order was placed in front of her. "And how about you Sakura?" Tenten asked. Sakura put her chopsticks down.

"I found out six years ago on my 7th birthday when the Haruno Massacre occurred." She answered; everyone mumbled a sorry and kept eating in silence. Ino was then wondering, "I heard rumors that the Haruno Massacre happened right at midnight a few hours after the Uchiha Clan's massacre." She said. Everyone thought about it, "No…" sakura said, "I came home just as the sun set. The massacre happened 15 minutes after the sun set." She corrected.

"Then why did I hear that it was at midnight? My parents always thought that though. It is said that a demon of some sort got into the mansion and killed everyone there… I mean if you wanna talk about it Sakura." Sakura finished her bowl, "Why don't we talk about it somewhere more private." She said as 

she stood up and left some money on the table. The others just shrugged and put money on the table and followed her.

They went into a clearing in the woods just outside the Konoha gates. "First of all, why do you want to suddenly know about my family?" Sakura asked suspiciously. They fidgeted again, "Well, our parents wouldn't tell us anything. Our fathers don't know about us being the next generation of Guardians and our mothers always change the subject once we get into it." Tenten sighed. Sakura looked at the ground, "The Haruno Massacre happened on my 7th birthday, in the evening and it is said to have happened one hour prior to the Uchiha Massacre."

"Meaning that your family died before the Uchihas?" Ino asked. "No, I found out one hour before the Uchiha Massacre but I didn't find my parents until half an hour later. Then, after 30 minutes again I blacked out but before that I heard someone scream my name… but the strange thing was… it sounded just like my mother's voice. But it was impossible since she was the one trying to kill me in the first place."

"Then," but she was cut off when a kunai with an explosive landed on the tree next to them, their eyes widened and they jumped out of the way. They looked around for their attacker to find three sound ninjas. They all got into battle position but was soon caught up in chakra strings, 'WHAT?! How could we have missed that?!' Sakura asked herself as she tried to break free of the strings. The three sound ninjas threw kunais at them and they closed their eyes to wait for impact… but it never came… instead a harsh wind blew past them.

They opened their eyes alerted by the sudden strong wind but that was soon turned into a gape when a familiar person showed up in front of them smirking. "I finally found my teammates," she said, then broke the chakra strings with her fan. "Temari!!" they all screamed and hugged the girl. "Woah, slow down there!" she said and broke free of the arms. Then she got something out from her pocket and reached her hand out to show it to us.

"Temari, Guardian of the Topaz of the Wind." It shone a soft white; it was shaped as a yellow diamond. Hinata took out hers and it shone a soft blue; it was in the shape of a blue flower. Tenten was next and took out hers which shone a light purple; it was a purple crescent moon. Ino took hers out and it shone a light red; it was a red star. And finally Sakura showed the gem that was previously in her hand and it shone a dark pink. The gems were in perfect harmony and they began giggling at the sight.

The sound ninjas were finally beginning to wake up after blacking out from hitting the trees around them. They quickly got to their feet and threw shurikens at them which they easily dodged. "Aqua whirlpool!" Hinata yelled and put her hands out before her and a whirlpool appeared in front of her. "Ruby maze!" Ino called out and suddenly fire appeared under them and encircled the poor ninjas. The impact of fire hitting water made a misty getaway for the sound nins who ran away at the speed of light.

The girls cheered and they talked about how cool their attacks were. They were heading back to Konoha and having a little feast in between them.

Back to the sound nins, they hurried as fast as they could to Orochimaru's hideout. When they arrived there, they prayed for their lives. Orochimaru wanted to take someone important as hostage from Konoha in exchange for a special medical scroll that Kabuto needs. If they failed… only Hell awaits them if they come back empty-handed. They shakily knocked on the door which led to a small throne-like room. When they hears the 'enter' they pushed the door open.

Orochimaru as usual was sitting on a chair on the northern side of the room with Kabuto to his left, and Sasuke to his right. One of them gulped while the other two forcefully pushed him forwards, "M-Master Orochimaru… he stuttered out. Orochimaru didn't say anything just leaned into the arm that was on the arm of the chair, telling him to continue. "W-We… saw, four girls… one was from the Hyuuga Clan… we t-tried to take her… b-but… s-she attacked us with some strange powers."

"Then… another one came with the similar powers and knocked us out for a bit… and… and… we… gulp ran." He squeaked. Orochimaru didn't say anything; he just waved his hand, which was the signal for Sasuke. "You failed Master Orochimaru… you will pay with your life." Sasuke said calmly and took out his sword and cut the ninja's throat. He stood over the other two and was about to strike when, "Stop, what exactly did you see?" the ninja away from the sword stood up and bowed, and then he told the story with every detail.

Orochimaru's eyes widened a little bit, "_Yuri…_" he breathed out in hate, "I want you two and three others to investigate around Konoha for 7 days, each one will follow each girl. Send me your report at the end of the week." He said. The two ninjas sighed in relief, bowed, did some hand seals and left in a white smoke. "Yuri… even dead that woman finds a way to throw me off balance." He angrily murmured to himself and scoffed. He then stood up, "I will be in my quarters if anyone needs me. But if you do, make sure its good or I'll have your head." He hissed at them.

Kabuto bowed and Sasuke just hn-ed. When Orochimaru was gone, Kabuto and Sasuke exchanged glances before they went outside for their normal spar.

Sakura and the others ran ahead to Tsunade and told her everything. She just looked stunned and serious. "I will double up the guards near the gates, you five, stay away from the woods for a while." She said. Temari thought, "What about me? I just came here to see how things were going. But I see not much has changed since the last time." She said. "Ah, Temari, I got news that you will be staying here two more days is that correct?" Tsunade asked. "Hai,"

"You can sleep at a hotel but if you prefer, one of the girls might be able to lodge you in." Temari thought, "I'll just take a hotel, but thank you for offering, Hokage-sama." She said smiling. "Oh, please call me Tsunade-sama like the other girls." Tsunade exclaimed. "Hai,"

After the girls left Tsunade let out a long sigh, "Orochimaru… what are you planning to do?" she sat up and put head on her hands which were resting on the desk, "Whatever it is, it can't be good… but I will stop him." She closed her eyes and then a thought emerged suddenly and she panicked, "Oh, no… Orochimaru… the ninjas got away… that means they reported to him… the girls are in danger." She said 

to herself. She calmed down a bit, "I will alert their mothers…" she said, called three of the fastest messengers and told them to deliver a scroll.

At the Hyuuga mansion, a messenger appeared before Hinata's mother and left a scroll and disappeared. She wiped her hands off on her apron and picked it up,

To Miyako,  
Come to the Hokage tower this evening it's urgent.  
Signed, Tsunade

Tenten's mother arrived home to find a scroll addressed to her on the front porch,

To Kasumi,  
Come to the Hokage tower this evening… its very important.  
Signed, Tsunade

Ino's mother was taking a bath when someone suddenly appeared and disappeared, she was confused.

To Inomi,  
Come to the Hokage tower pronto, this evening, don't be late… again.  
Signed, Tsunade

All three mothers looked shocked, and made an urgent excuse to leave the house. All three arrived at the Hokage tower and entered together like the old times. (Explained in later chapters)

They sat down impatiently in a living room with tea on the table. Tsunade came in, sat down and got right to business, "He knows," she said and they looked solemnly on the ground. "Yuri," at the sound of that name, all three women looked up, "I will be telling Sakura the truth on her 13th birthday. She told me to prepare for the worst… if the worst ever happens." They looked down.

Inomi looked up, "Will history repeat itself once again," she asked with fear. Tsunade looked at her face, "I don't know… but what I do know is that you have to train your girls from now on. Things are about to change greatly… I don't want history to repeat itself. I don't want to lose someone again. Someone like Yuri and Fuji," She said. All of them were quiet, with one thing in mind, 'What should we do?'


	2. New and Old Meetings

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 2: Changes

Name: Sakura Haruno  
Age: 16  
Status: Head ANBU, head medic-nin  
Abilities: _Abilities: Medic-nin, Inhuman strength, Haruno Family technique, Angelico Hueco, Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, __Étoile's Secret_

_Sakura Haruno, the Pink Cherry Blossom, the Princess of Konoha… She is now the strongest Kunoichi in ninja history._

Flashback,

_On my 13__th__ birthday, I was invited to the Hyuuga mansion to feast it. I was honored for that and gladly accepted. I arrived there to find Ino, Tenten and Hinata's parents and there was a giant cake. We had a party for a few hours until the three women of the noble houses came up to me with Tsunade leading them, "We need to talk." She said and Miyako led the way to a private garden._

_They sat down on the chairs around a small table. I sat down next to Inomi who sat next to Miyako who sat next to Tsunade who sat next to Kasumi, making it so that Tsunade was right across from me. They became solemn and serious; I suddenly felt the urge to run. I listened to them as they began to speak incoherent words. I strained to hear but before I could, Tsunade stopped the bickering. "You are old enough to know the truth. The Haruno family secret now belongs to you." She said. _

_I blinked a few times, "What?" I asked. "The Haruno family secret is in your hands," Tsunade repeated and looked into my eyes. After a long silence, she began to speak and tell me of the history of my family…_

_**The Haruno family has an utmost important secret in the history of Konoha. It varies with every generation of Haruno. It was kept in an underground labyrinth that is said to emerge under the Haruno grounds and only a true blooded Haruno could pass through it. Like all family secrets, it was protected by the family members but since they were dead and they knew that that was their fate, they created many traps and a seal that only a true Haruno can break through.**_

_**On the night of the Haruno Massacre Yuri was feeling uneasy about everything and called over the team meaning, Yuri Guardian of the Amethyst; Miyako Guardian of the Sapphire; Kasumi Guardian of the Onyx; Inomi Guardian of the Ruby and me Tsunade, Guardian of the Topaz and on that night also Mikoto the Guardian of the Deep Blue Orb.**_

_**She called us to her house but it was getting late and a dark presence loomed over the Harunos. When we arrived there we already saw Yuri battling in the skies with her angel wings guiding her. We got the point and battled with her on the ground fending off the demons who were trying to kill **_

_**everybody. What we didn't notice were the two demons that were glowing red and were watching Yuri and Fuji who were battling fiercely. **_

_**Soon we found out why. Those demons were able to steal people's faces. They happened to steal your parents' and they lurked away. That's when I think you came and we heard you scream; Yuri panicked and flew to where your voice was, but found the door locked. She got angry and busted the door down right in time to see the demon slowly advancing towards her daughter. She screamed your name and you fainted. Your mother caught you in time, while your father attacked them. **_

_**After a few minutes the demons rounded up and killed your father. That's when your mother cracked, "Girls…" she murmured, and looked up at us with a tear-stained face, "We have to do it," she said. We gasped and said we were not ready for that attack yet. She said she didn't care; she was the only one in danger. The move was called Yume, meaning dream. The move is about concentrating the entire Gems' energies into one thing that would merge them together and the person to do that was your mother.**_

_**Us four held hands facing out and she was in the middle of the circle. "Arigatto, minna" and that was the last time we saw her since she floated up and shone the colors of the rainbow, but… something went terribly wrong. The demons shot one final attack towards her just as she finished firing her attack. The demons vanished but not before firing a golden arrow, aiming towards us, but Yuri stood in the way and got hit. The sheer force of the previous attack sent us flying into the walls.**_

_**All of us panicked, she crawled up to reach your body and grasped your hand, "I'm so… sorry." She said… and passed away. We all cried and we left the family alone. We knew that it was not the time to move anything. That's when we heard the clock chime and we knew… Yuri Haruno had died at exactly midnight on the day of her daughter's birthday.**_

_Tsunade finished the story and I looked up with tears in my eyes that wouldn't fall. I looked at them in disbelief, "And you were planning on hiding this from me for how long!!" I exclaimed, and ran away. I just couldn't take it anymore. It was too much… _

_I marched right up to my house and unleashed some of my chakra. The mansion suddenly disappeared to open up an underground maze. I followed it and being a ninja I evaded al the traps that were on my way, blinded by rage. I marched up to a treasure chest that had different kinds of flowers on it. I touched it; it glowed… it opened… and the Haruno Technique was one that passed all my expectations…_

_That day I decided to finally know the secret of my family… that day, I finally knew the truth behind my family… that day, is when I changed for the better or worse, I don't know._

_But what I do know is that, from then… I have never cried. _

"Hey Teme! We're here!" A blond shouted. Sasuke just grunted followed by Kakashi right behind, and right behind him… Team Hebi.

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin squealed. Sasuke just grunted and entered through the gates. Kakashi just nodded at the guards to show them that it was okay.

_I will never cry…_

They entered the Hokage tower and opened the Hokage's door.

_Especially for __**him**_,

_And that him…_

_Just walked through the door…_

Sakura was wearing her ANBU uniform consisting of a white coat that covered her completely from head to toe and an ANBU mask that had the form of a black butterfly with red linings. She looked behind her and walked over calmly next to Tsunade who still looked shocked.

Of course she would, Sasuke and Naruto were gone for 4 years while Kakashi was needed in faraway village as a jounin and was gone for two years now. Neji just appeared through the window stunned too. There was another presence too; Shikamaru was also shocked to see Team Hebi standing in the same room as the Hokage without being killed… wow.

There was a thick silence until Naruto broke it, "Where's Sakura-Chan?" he asked, "I want to show her that Sasuke's back!" he yelled. Tsunade got over her shock and looked at the full dressed ANBU standing next to her from the corner of her eyes. 'She probably wants to wait for the right time…' "She's not here for the time being." Neji and Shikamaru were stunned because Sakura was right there and Neji was about to object except that the glare Tsunade gave him made him cower into a corner figuratively (not literally)

Shikamaru was just too lazy to protest so he just went through into the room and closing the door behind him. He then along with Neji sat on one of the couches and stayed quiet. "What would you like to tell her Naruto?" she asked. Sakura just stayed quiet, "Still as loud as ever" Sakura telepathically told Tsunade with no amusement whatsoever in her voice.

"I just wanted to see how she's doing." Tsunade nodded, "How are you doing?" "I'm fine, now where's Sakura?!" he yelled. All the ears present were echoing, and Karin hit him on the head. Jogo and Suigetsu were wobbling. Sakura just flinched through her mask. Naruto was going to scream again until Sakura transported herself to cover Naruto's mouth. "Shut up!" she said sternly, they looked shocked for a moment (excluding Tsunade, Shikamaru and Neji)

"Naruto," her voice trailed on, low and dangerous, "You are hurting my ears." She said. Naruto blinked, "Sakura… chan?" he asked. She moved away from him and took off her hood and mask, and smirked. "Sakura!" he squeaked. She just smirked, "Why hello," she said in mocking tone, cold and emotionless. Naruto blinked a few times more, "Are you sure this is Sakura-chan she seems too… cold." That hit Sakura like a ton of bricks; her eyes reflected the Sharingan to everyone.

Naruto moved away, Sasuke's eyes widened, Karin squeaked and Jugo and Suigetsu didn't know what the heck was going on. Karin didn't either but since Sasuke was acting up she did too. "Fine, I'm **not** Sakura; I'm not the Sakura **you** knew. That's right; I've changed like **some** people." She said angrily and should I mention again coldly. She jumped out the window, Neji jumped up, "Sakura wait!" he yelled, and gave a dirty look at Naruto. Surprisingly Shikamaru also got up as soon as Sakura yelled and glared at everyone in the room and followed Neji.

"What a dilemma," Tsunade groaned, "You shouldn't get on Sakura's nerves or she'll kill you. She's right, she's not the Sakura you knew so be careful around her." She said carefully. Naruto looked guilty now; Sasuke on the other hand was asking questions in his head. "She has the Sharingan," he stated bluntly. Tsunade gave him her attention, and narrowed her eyes at him, "yes… it's a new power that she's learned over the years." Tsunade wanted to take this opportunity to boast about her most prized students, "She also just mastered the Byakugan a few weeks ago." Sasuke begin to shift uncomfortably, Tsunade internally smirked, and how easy it is to get on an Uchihas' nerves. She thought playfully.

Meanwhile with Sakura, she ran through the rooftops at top speed with Neji and Shikamaru trailing behind. When they got on top of the Hokage Mountain Sakura felt pain surging through her throat and spit out blood. Neji was immediately concerned, "Sakura, what happened?" he asked the kneeling girl. "I just… over did it." She said as she reached into her back pocket and took out a medicine bottle. She took out a pill from it and Shikamaru handed her some water.

After she drank it she took out two more pills and ate them. Neji and Shikamaru hated to see her like this with all the pills and medication. "Let's take you to Tsunade-sama and she'll heal your injuries." Shikamaru walked over to them and put an arm around Sakura's waist. When they were getting up Neji took the time to look over Sakura's body. 'Her uniform isn't torn… but that doesn't mean she's not injured, Byakugan.' He said to himself.

He looked over her body (pervert! But it's for a good cause… I think) His eyes widened, "Hurry!" he said, but it was harder for Shikamaru since she fainted. Neji put her other arm over his shoulder, and went to the Hokage tower which was right below them.

"Sasuke, Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo… you all have committed great crimes… I don't know what the council will do… but I will make sure it isn't death." She said reassuringly. Just then the jounin and ANBU reappeared with an unconscious ANBU leader. Tsunade gasped, "Put her down on the floor now!" she ordered, they did as they were told. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto squeaked. Tsunade unbuttoned the ANBU uniform and took it off of her in one swift motion.

Sakura was bruised from the lower neck to her knees; her stomach was bleeding also, "Not good," Tsunade murmured as she began to rapidly heal her subordinate. "Is she going to be okay?" Naruto asked, now with more guilt that ever, this was not the first impression he would've liked to show Sakura. Tsunade didn't look up from her work but answered him, "She has bruises all over her body; a minor gash to the stomach; a broken left arm; a sprained right ankle; slight throat damage and a little head concoction that she probably healed before getting here, so what do think?"

"Where did she go?" and here we go again with Naruto and his questions. "Her mission was to escort a noble through the region. It took her two weeks… an amazing feat, it would probably take even an expert jounin at least three weeks to complete a mission like that… but… that's why she's head ANBU." She finished repairing her throat. "HEAD ANBU?!" Naruto and yes, Sasuke screamed. Tsunade looked up, "Naruto, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Neji bring Sakura to the hospital… I need to speak privately to our… guests, and that means you too Sai, and stop hiding near the window."

Sure enough, Sai's face appeared on the side of the window and he reluctantly got in, without saying a word he kneeled down in front of Sakura and gently put his hands under her and picked her up bridal style. He then walked a few paces and Neji opened the door for them. Sai walked through followed by Kakashi and Shikamaru. However Naruto still wouldn't budge.

Naruto just glared at Tsunade while she just looked uninterested in what he was doing. "Naruto," she growled lowly. "I think you have better things to do than to stay here." Tsunade said, and Naruto softened up a little and went out the door. When he was gone she returned her glare to Team Hebi. "Your fate in not in my hands but I repeat that it will not be death as long as I'm Hokage," she said looking at the people in the room.

She stood up, "Now if you'll excuse me, Sakura should be making a fuss right about now." She said as she walked through the door, "Are you coming?" she asked mainly to Sasuke. They just followed since they didn't have anywhere to go.

They followed her until she came to in front of a door, but they could hear screaming from inside. She opened it and just as fast closed it with the others safely inside. Neji and Shikamaru were sitting on the couch opposite the bed, while Naruto just paced back and forth. When he saw Tsunade come in, "What took you so long?" he yelled.

Tsunade ignored him and proceeded to stand next to the bed. Sakura was still unconscious, and Tsunade healed her. After about ten minutes she sighed out of relief and Sakura slowly opened her eyes, but said nothing. _'Looks like I'm still alive… too bad.' _She sighed internally and sat up. "Sakura-chan, you shouldn't stand up yet!" he reasoned. Sakura just ignored him and stood up from the bed.

"Since you are now awake I'm going to tell you what's going to happen." She got comfortable on one of the chairs, "I'm going right to the point, Sasuke you're going to be on survey 24/7 from now on by the head ANBU and her assistants. Meaning Sakura, you will choose either to move into the Uchiha Mansion or they will move into yours."

Sakura glared at Tsunade, "Okay… yours it is." Tsunade said slyly. Sakura turned her full body to face Tsunade, "Not to be rude or anything but I am moving out of my parents' mansion and moving into the new mansion right next to it… and I'm packing." She said coldly trying not to grit her teeth. "Perfect, I take it that your new mansion will be bigger than the previous?" Tsunade asked.

"Tsunade-sama," she started crossing her arms, "My new mansion isn't going to be done for at least one more week." She stated. "Where will you stay in that time span?" Tsunade asked, "I'm staying at a 

hotel," she answered. Tsunade closed her eyes and smirked, "I will arrange the biggest and finest room in the best hotel tomorrow. With that space you can survey them." She said. Sakura twitched, "Like I said, I have to pack." This time it was Tsunade who twitched. "Then they'll help you."

Sakura and Tsunade glared at each other. Suigetsu spoke up, "Do I have a say in this?" he asked. The girls turned to him, "NO!!" they yelled. "Sakura it is your job as head ANBU to welcome these formerly known missing-nin. Since you are also an ANBU it is your job to find out information on everyone. You will live in a hotel that the people will gladly accept you. There you will get information on these five and report it to me in one week's time after you've settled in, got it?" Tsunade said more of a statement than a question.

Sakura just Hn-ed and walked away. "Where are you going?" Naruto asked. Sakura stopped right in front of Jugo, "I'm going to see the new plans of my new mansion." She answered. "Why?" Sakura was getting annoyed. "What does it matter to you?" she asked. Naruto was taken back, "Oh I see." Sakura just softened a tiny, tiny microscopic bit. "You wanna come with me?" Naruto lightened up, "Sure!" then she turned over to face Karin's (ugly) face, "From now on I'm your surveyor. Follow me." She said as she and Naruto went out the door.

Sai went out the window and followed Sakura. Neji went out the door to go back to the Hyuuga Mansion and change and Shikamaru went home also. Sasuke told them to go ahead and Jugo and Suigetsu dragged a wailing Karin out of the hospital. He then turned to Tsunade who was checking through some papers.

"Why is she like that?" he finally asked. Tsunade didn't look up, "They say power drains all happiness, even if you didn't have a choice but to accept it." She stated, "You better go catch up to them." She said still not looking up from the paperwork. Sasuke just glared at Tsunade for the indirect answer, but still went out the window giving one last look at Tsunade's back.

Sasuke caught up to them just in time to see Sakura's eyes glow green and she held her hands out and stopped a woman from falling because some boys ran past her while she was carrying some bags. Sakura then called out to the little boys, "Kyo, Rama, Cole!" she called out and smiled softly at them, "Go and help Mrs. Mayo with her bags," she said. They just grinned and nodded.

"How did you do that?" he asked bluntly. "I have telekinesis." She answered just as bluntly, and Sasuke felt like he was suddenly very dumb. Karin who noticed this got angry, "You don't have any right to speak to _my_ Sasuke-kun like that!" she yelled. Sakura just kept on walking, "And what makes you _his_?" she asked smirking. "Because… I'm on the same team as him!" she made up. Sakura smirked some more, "I used to be on his team too but I didn't have the right to call him _mine_. Anyways, who would want to be _his_." She said.

Karin fumed and ran towards Sakura, Sakura didn't even budge. Karin kept on moving until… she suddenly stopped. She looked at her feet and there was a huge lotus flower under her, "No…" Sakura said, "A lotus is too beautiful and proud to fit you… how about… a weed." She said and the lotus disappeared and in the place some dry weeds that crawled up her body and covered her mouth. 

Suigetsu sighed, "Finally, I thought we could never get any peace around here with her big mouth running!" he said and Karin shot him a death glare.

They kept on walking until they stopped right in front of a building that said "YOKUBA" they went inside, and instantly everyone in the room bowed, and then just as quick went back to their work. "Wow… they really respect you." Naruto said, Kakashi just sweat-dropped. Sakura went through a hall and up three flights of stairs until they were standing in front of a door that said "DO NOT DISTURB"

Sakura opened it to find people bustling about, until a middle-aged woman with black hair and brown eyes with glasses came up to them, "Hello Haruno-san, I'm your new architect, Kiko Masaki." They shook hands. "Let us go to a more… quiet place, shall we?" she asked, while looking around her to see people panicking on what to do.

They walked out of the room and then they were led to a room that was two doors away. They sat around an oval table in the middle of the room. "So tell me, what kind of mansion would you like and where would it be." Kiko asked taking out a pen and notepad. "The place will be in the place as the previous Haruno Mansion… _but_ no one can touch the Haruno Mansion, it will not be destroyed." She said simply and hardening her voice with the _but_ and they all gulped.

"Okay, can you show us the place so we can get to work?" she asked standing up, Sakura just hn-ed, and went out the door. They walked out of the building and walked some more until they were at the end of Konoha. They were confused, Naruto, Kakashi nor Sasuke have ever been to Sakura's house before, Sai neither who seemed to appear with Neji and Shikamaru just behind him.

They came in front a rock. Sakura then bit her finger, did some hand signs and with her thumb she wrote a name in her blood in ancient Japanese that they couldn't name. Then, the rock vibrated and Sakura went through it. The others took a cautious step before going through. Once everyone went through the rock, the rock became solid again reappeared; then they gasped in awe.

The sunlight shone on the grassy field. They could hear a waterfall somewhere, flowers all around the grass. The Haruno Mansion was as white as silk that you wouldn't even imagine that blood was ever spilled there. "This way." Came Sakura's voice. "Kiko, my new mansion will be over here." She said pointing to another rock. She then just performed hands seals and touched the rock. It again disappeared and they went through to find another field of grass around a rocky clearing that stretched wide enough to put five houses on it.

"The new mansion will be here," she pointed. They all looked in awe, "Wow… Haruno-san, could you tell me the surroundings of this place so to make sure we won't destroy all this beautiful work." Sakura just led them to the rocky clearing. "The Haruno grounds have special powers based on a jutsu. My parents' made it for me before they died, and I learned to use that technique to make my own land. Everything you see here is real… but I enhanced the beauty with my own powers. It's like a cave that's never ending… but… no one can get in… and no one can escape except if you go through the first rock we came from."

"You mean the one that leads to the village?" Kakashi asked. "Hai, I just installed the rocks two years ago after Kakashi left. That's why you weren't able to see it." She explained. "Anyways, back to the surroundings; in each what I like to call '_Hana_' there is a waterfall. In the middle of the 'Hana' we have a clearing for houses and buildings. Flowers as you may have noticed also grow here."

After Sakura explained all there is to know about the place, Kiko left. "Thank you for letting me be your architect for this project and I assure you that I will find the perfect mansion to build in a place as beautiful as this." She said taking in once more her surroundings until she passed through the rock.

"What are you going to do now Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. "I'm going to change and I think everyone of you should too." She said as she went over to the mansion and stopped at the doorstep, she then held her hand out over a flower bud and lifted her hand in an upward movement and the flower grew and bloomed to show a hidden key in it. She took it from the flower and unlocked the door. She turned on the lights to show a beautiful living room. It was like one of those fairy tale stories with a grand staircase in the middle going up and a second stage that you could see from the first. It was just a mall-like second floor in which you could see the first floor and so on. There were many doors indeed. "Choose a room, in each room there is a bathroom, and if it's locked leave it that way." She said as she climbed the grand staircase and up another one on the second floor. She stopped in front of a silver door that said Sakura in gold linings.

She quickly opened it and slammed it shut; causing a loud echo to happen throughout the almost empty mansion. They did as they were told and chose a room so that they could change.

Sakura was sitting in her bath, "He's back, huh." She said leaning back. "I guess… I'll have to really let go now. He's not the same… I'm not the same… we both changed for the better of things. He went his way… while I went with mine." She closed her eyes and got out of the tub. Her hair clung to her body which still ached from the previous battle, "Damn those Akatsuki and damn Deidara for his clay bombs," she muttered as she put on her bath robe and wrapped a towel on her head.

She put on her clothes consisting of a blood-red tank top with black linings on it like black fire. She also wore black caprice that ended right below her knees and then she proceeded to brush her hair. She mused, "I grew my hair long for Sasuke… I cut my hair for Sasuke… but now… I'm growing my hair for me." She mused. First she heard that Sasuke liked girls with long hair… and she grew it long. Then to protect Sasuke… she cut it short. Now it was neither long nor short… a little proof that she was neither doing it for Sasuke, but for herself. It was now above the middle of her back, not as long as she grew it, but it was longer than her below her shoulders, not as short as she cut it. It was perfect. It wasn't for Sasuke… it wasn't to prove to Ino who's best… it's to prove that she isn't Sasuke's follower… and at a time… Sasuke's slave.

She then put black mascara on and finished it off with some black heels like Tsunade's. She decided now was the time to pack since she was already in her own room.

Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, Sai, Kakashi, Jugo and Suigetsu explored the wide space. At least the wide space in the living room; the furniture was covered in a white cloth and the coffee table too. Above 

them was a crystal chandelier. There were a few photos on the walls, but most of them were the various symbols that the Harunos had inherited with each generation. They looked at the most recent date.

The symbol was that of a flower as the handle of a sword which was red and it had a wing facing right above the flower (For the look of it it's in Romeo x Juliet the anime) Then… they saw something else, it was another insignia, this time it was the complete opposite, instead of a sword it was a shield that was blue and on the shield was a rose and on top of the shield was one wing facing left.

They were about to say something when Sakura came down with Karin trailing behind still mad about the weed accident. "Since you are going to live with me, you need to have a share in the work. Since I'm moving all of you will help me pack, move into a hotel, then after my mansion is finished, unpack and settle down." She stated, "Any obligations?" she asked looking around the room. Kakashi just whistled, "Well… I think it's time for me to go home." He said and slipped away.

Naruto screamed at him, "Hey, you traitor, come back here!" he yelled and faced back to Sakura, "Naruto, you won't be living here so you don't have to help, and neither does Kakashi. Shikamaru, help me bring out some boxes." She said and they followed, but before she went through the door, "Naruto and company, I would like you guys to do a job that is off utmost importance to me, Neji you guard them for the time being." She walked back over to them, "These two paintings _must _get safely to Tsunade. She'll tell you where to put them." She said seriously, mainly glaring at Naruto.

They nodded; Suigetsu and Jugo carried the two big paintings. They now headed off towards the Hokage Tower.

They arrived at the Hokage's office they knocked but no answer came so they just opened the door. And what do you know… the Hokage herself was found sleeping on her desk with two bottles of sake on it. Naruto screamed.

A few minutes later after Tsunade hit Naruto on the head, "What are you doing here?" she asked, looking at what they were holding, well, at least two of them were holding. "Paintings, Sakura wanted us to bring them here." Sasuke told her. "Put them gently over on the couch. Isn't she supposed to chaperone you?" she questioned. Neji then appeared for confirmation, "I see,"

"Umm, Tsunade baa-chan… what are these symbols?" Naruto asked, and for once everyone agreed with him. She looked over at the paintings. "This is a long story I should have you know." She said, but then sweat-dropped when everyone got comfortable in the couches. Naruto sitting in the chair right in front of the desk and Sasuke sitting on the other; Karin was blubbering, she hoped that she could sit next to Sasuke on the couch but instead she sat in between Jumbo and Suibeastsu (That was their nicknames that they **Hated**, with a capital H) "Guess I have no choice."

**The story is about two clans; the Haruno clan… and the clan of Mizawa. There was a girl named Yuri and a boy named Fuji. Yuri's family's insignia was that of the sword with an iris and a wing facing right. Fuji's family's insignia was that of the shield with the rose with a wing facing left. Even if Yuri's **

**family had the sword as their symbol, they hated violence. Opposite also goes for the Mizawa Clan who resolved everything by force.**

**One day Yuri Haruno about 16 years old went riding on her horse when some people from the Mizawa clan captured her and took her to their base. That night, Yuri cried, and then came Fuji, knowing who she was… but she had no idea of who he was. It was love at first sight… but like Romeo and Juliet their love was forbidden throughout the land.**

**They decided then to have secret rendezvous every night. It would be in an enchanted place where no one but them could know where it was and how to get in. If anyone else but them found out and went inside they would get lost inside the labyrinth. They soon fell in love, and that love prospered for a few months until… Yuri was engaged to be married to the heir of the Yanagi Clan, Yuki (Yuki Yanagi means snow willow) **

**Yuri was devastated and on the night of her wedding day she planned on committing suicide, she said, "If I can't be with the one I love… I'd rather die." But before she could do that, Fuji saw her scene and stopped her from stabbing herself. He said he loved her and nothing could keep them apart. So, they ran away.**

**They got married in secret against their Clans. Their parents' didn't understand… but Yuki wasn't so happy with that either. So… he killed the Mizawa Clan, but was then killed by Fuji. Then the Yanagi Clan thinking that the Haruno Clan killed Yuki... they killed the Haruno Clan. Fuji had lost his family… Yuri was now an orphan. The Mizawa Clan was one of the noble Clans and its disappearance caused great problems for the society. **

**That night, Fuji and Yuri were finally married, this time according to the law. Fuji then decided since his Clan was no more… he would take his wife's family name. Fuji Haruno and Yuri Haruno, the insignia of the blue rose reminds the last heir to the Haruno who she really is.**

**Sakura Haruno… daughter of Yuri Haruno… and Fuji Mizawa, the name of Mizawa will be forgotten through time… but to the last remaining… it can never be forgotten.**

"Sakura's mother and father risked their lives to be together… and they lived happy lives." Tsunade finished her story. Naruto was wide-eyed; Sasuke was looking at the paintings. Suigetsu was rubbing his eyes blaming the dust; Jugo was just sitting there quietly. "So there you have it." She said, "You better go back now," they nodded and left.

When they got back to the mansion there were minor boxes on the floor. Each one specifically labeled, "Clothes" "Weapons" and etc.

Shikamaru then came out of a broom closet holding some more boxes. He put them down when he saw the others arrive. "What took you guys so long?" he asked wiping sweat off his forehead. "Oh, we've stayed with Tsunade baa-chan for story time." Naruto said scratching the back of his head. "Where's Sakura-chan?" he asked looking around. Shikamaru scratched his head, "She's packing things from her room." He answered.

"So… what do we do now?" Suigetsu asked, keeping away from Karin who was all flirtatious trying to get Sasuke's attention. "I… don't know." Shikamaru answered looking at the silver doorway on the second floor.

Sakura was packing everything she's got. She was looking over her dresser, "Man, I've been on missions all the time that I've forgotten to buy new clothes and throw out the old ones," then she sweat-dropped when she took out her old uniform that was way too small for her now. Then she checked in her drawer, there was nothing but socks and gloves. She sighed, the looked in the drawer on her bedside table. She opened it and smiled just a little bit. She took the box out with the flower. She twirled the crystal clear flower between her fingers feeling how smooth it was next to her soft hands. She then kissed the flower and put it down gently on the table. She then looked at the medium-sized box in her hand. She opened it and out came one of her favorite melodies playing softly. The song was called "Eternal Snow", it was a music box with her name and Naruto and below it said 'Friends 4Ever' she put it down on the table.

She then looked through her closet to find something that might hold those things but… she couldn't find anything. "I guess I'll have to go shopping, money isn't a problem I've got as much as want until the end of my life… the end of my life." She repeated quietly. "When will it be?" she asked herself I a whisper. Then she heard a knock at her door, "Sakura," It was Neji, "Are you coming out soon?" he asked through the door.

"Tell everyone that we're going shopping in a few." She said taking out some money and putting it in her purse that she put in her pocket. She came out the door and closed it shut locking it with a key that she hid in another flower that was right next to her door in a pot. She descended the big staircase and looked around the room.

Karin was clinging to Sasuke who was looking pissed off while Naruto glared at Sai for god knows what, Suigetsu and Jugo were already heading towards the door while Neji and Shikamaru were following behind them. 'This is going to be a long day.' She thought, and looked at her watch, '5:00… they arrived at 7:00… the stores close at 8:00… the bars close at 11:00.' And she started making plans for the day. After a few seconds, 'Done'

Without a word she went in between Sai and Naruto breaking their contact and went out the door. The others just followed. Sasuke was staying far away from Karin and staying close to Sakura. He paid no heed to Karin's whimpers and looked at Sakura's back, 'power drains all happiness… she's got power that I would gladly kill to have… but… even if you don't have any choice but to accept it… does that mean she doesn't want this power? I don't get it, she has power, riches, and respect from all the people… sigh I will never understand girls.'

Sakura looked through the list in her head:

1) Get new clothes… for everyone. (5:00 – 6:00)  
2) Get more boxes (6:00 – 6:30)  
3) Buy groceries (6:30 – 7:30)  
4) Go back home (7:30)  


5) Get information on Team Hebi (7:30 – 8:30)  
6) Relax (8:30 – 9:00)  
7) Work on papers (9:00 – 11:00)  
8) Sleep (11:00 – 6:00)  
9) Make new plans for next day (6:00 – 6:01)

It was a plan made in a minute but it will work for the time being. I started to walk out the door when I felt a little light-headed. All I heard was someone calling my name and I blacked out.


	3. Secret Meetings

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 3: Mermaid's Secret

Sakura was heading out the door when she suddenly stopped in her tracks and fell back, Neji called her name and Sasuke ran and caught her before she could hit the ground. He got a close look at her face, '_No smile… what happened to the Sakura I knew?' _he asked himself. She slowly opened her eyes and for the first time in a long time… he saw fear in her eyes. They looked into each others eyes; her eyes seem to be asking… _why?_

He looked away from her not knowing the answer to that question. He didn't know if he felt ashamed or angry at that moment…but he knew that he hurt her deeply. Time seemed to stop around them, Sakura's eyes softened then hardened in the next second. She looked away and stood up; Sasuke's arms helping her get up. Karin was held back by Jugo who was covering her mouth and holding her tightly. "Are you sure you're okay Sakura-chan? Maybe you still need to rest up a bit." Naruto suggested putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She gave him a glance, "I really don't feel too well today."

Sakura trudged back into her room, followed by Neji. Sakura opened the door to her room and was about to close it when something stopped her… mainly Neji's foot. He went in and closed the door behind him. He walked slowly towards Sakura's back and with one swift move, he made her turn towards him and kissed her lightly on the lips and turned away and then said, "You can't hide your heart away forever you know…" he said and left.

Sakura looked at the ground, "but I can try…" Then she touched her lips, "I cannot return your feelings Neji… not now."

_I will not let people close to my heart… not close enough so they could break it; if I lived alone; I would not get hurt nor get others hurt. Each and every day I try to mend the shattered pieces of my heart… up to now. _

_I have no reason to cry… I've wasted all my tears on one man… I cannot hate… I've lost the reason to hate when I was the one being hated… I cannot laugh… I've sealed my laughter so that it will not show my weakness… I cannot love… I've wasted all my time running after love that it's fatal to search any longer._

_I am… nothing… lost in the darkness… am I ever going to be freed from this eternal imprisonment? Like a wise sage once told me… I'm like a bird in a golden cage. Having everything you want… but it's the same thing as having nothing at all. _

_I am Sakura Haruno… a girl that has been through Hell and back… up to the Heavens and in between. I had my share of drama, and action… what more could I need?_

"How is she?" Shikamaru asked Neji. "She's resting… for now. I think in an hour or so… she'll start her daily routine." He said while sitting on the couch. "I don't think so…yawns… I think she'll start her daily routine in thirty minutes… she's not as lazy as me…" he said sleepily. Neji glared at him, 

"Remember the last time she was like this?" he asked. Shikamaru opened one of his eyes and stared at Neji, and then they both shuddered.

She was hectic, and tried to run away every time she got a chance until she usually goes to her favorite place. A place unknown even to them…

Sakura was lying down on her bed, one hand on her stomach and the other to her heart. She clutched her chest and narrowed her eyes. She started to sing, "**Otogibanashi saigo no PEEJI wa**

**Kakikaerarete higeki ni kawari,"**

The people downstairs looked up towards where the sound was coming from… and they listened.

"**Tatta hitotsu shinjiteta. Hito no kokoro sae mo miushinau"**

Then her voice suddenly stopped. Sakura got up from her bed, opened her window and jumped out. "There she goes… she not gonna be back until this morning." Shikamaru said getting up and heading out, "Coming with me Neji? Team Hebi is well guarded." He said. Neji hesitated but agreed, "Yeah, let's go," he said and waved at Suigetsu and Jugo.

Sasuke was more than surprised to hear such a melodic voice and was more but interested if that sound really came from Sakura. That night he waited until Karin was asleep… which was in his room… on a bed that was so close that you could mistake it for a king-size. He got off the bed and jumped out the open window. Once he got outside he turned on his Sharingan and began following where she was last.

He didn't look for too long until he came to a rock… again. He saw her do it and with the help of his Sharingan he managed to copy it and the rock disappeared. He stepped inside and the rock reappeared. He then heard water flowing, he followed it… but… the waterfall was getting quieter. He didn't think about it too long until he saw it with his own eyes. The waterfall was indeed there… but instead of flowing downwards… it was flowing upwards… an unnatural sight of gravity.

He hid between two rocks that were near the waterfall and observed. His eyes widened at what he saw, he saw Sakura… but not the Sakura you would think… unless the Sakura you would think would wear seashells for a bra… had a tail and long hair… then no. He blinked a few times more until he got tired from all the blinking and just watched, _'Great… first I hear she's head ANBU… then I hear she has special powers… and __**now **__she's a mermaid?!' _He screamed in his head, _'Great… just great.'_ He mused.

His thoughts were corrupted when she started to sing, she was in the water at the bottom of the waterfall. Her tail was pink and her hair longer, and her eyes were fairly big and they were a mix of her natural color of green and a tint of blue every now and then…

**(Song: Return to the Sea from Mermaid Melody (Sara's song) It's beautifully bitter-sweet, you should really hear it and you would know it matches Sakura's image in this fic.)**

**Otogibanashi saigo no PEEJI wa**

**Kakikaerarete higeki ni kawari**

**Tatta hitotsu shinjiteta**

**Hito no kokoro sae mo miushinau**

**Ai mo yume mo marude**

**Suna no oshiro mitai na no**

**Hakanaku kowarete yuku no yo**

**Sore o nozomanakutatte**

**Dakedo ima mo wasurerarenai no**

**Anata ga itsumo utatta MERODII**

**Mune ni hibiku tabi itsuka**

**Modoreru ki ga suru no ano koro ni**

**Kitto kitto kaereru no**

**Tsunagareta kusari furiharai**

**Futatsu no sekai ga**

**Musubareta aoi umi e**

**Zettai!**

**Ai dake wa subete o norikoeru**

**Unmei kimeru seiza mo kaerareru**

**Kiete shimae okubyou na uso mo ima mo...**

**Houseki no you ni kirameku haha naru umi no**

**Yasashisa to ai ni tsutsumare umareta**

**Nanatsu no inochi ga mitsumeru yume ga aru**

**Dakara watashi mo koko ni kita no**

**Mou jibun ni uso tsukanai**

**Mamoru hito ga ite**

**Mamoru sekai ga aru kara**

**Kitto!**

**Mienakute utagau no wa yowasa**

**Katachi no nai ai o shinjitetai**

**Yagate ai o kono te ni kanjiru hi made...**

She finished her song and tears could be seen in her eyes but it seems as if they would never fall. "Sasuke…" she whispered. Sasuke jumped a little then looked back at Sakura, but it seems like she was just talking to herself, "Sasuke…" she repeated. Sasuke then felt a pang of guilt in him… he knew now… this song was for him… such a bitter-sweet melody that now rang through his head. He looked at her; the full moon lit up the cave and reflected off the water. Her face glowed in the moonlight and she faced the moon.

Then she started singing again… I guess the song wasn't over yet…

**Sazanami no BEDDO de me o samashita asa ni**

**Subete ga owatte hajimaru no**

**Atatakaku shizuka na hikari ni tsutsumarete**

**Kibou ga michiteru umi ni kaeru no**

**Hora shiawase no kane ga natte**

**Nanatsu no umi ga kagayaki dashitara**

**Ai no kiseki o ichiban suki na**

**Anata to futari mitsumetai**

**Soshite sotto KISU o shite ne**

'_The end is sweet… just like her… no… just like she used to be… before I broke her heart.' _He saw her get out of the water and right away her tail changed back into legs and her clothes changed back too… he gulped… she wasn't wearing any clothes. It took him a while to turn his head but when he did he turned red (Wow… O.o) He turned away blushing he heard some shuffling and after five minutes the shuffling stopped and he turned his gaze back to Sakura.

She was going towards a rock that had her kunai pouch. Then she took something that seemed to drop from her neck. He was afraid that if he activated his Sharingan she would notice. Actually, Sharingan users can sense or tell when someone else has activated a Sharingan if they were close… he knew Sakura wasn't an Uchiha, but he wouldn't dare take the chance of being spotted.

She put the thing that dropped back onto her neck and he guessed that it was a necklace… _'It seems like she turns into a mermaid whenever she touches water… now that I think about it, every time that it would rain during the missions, she would always disappear or go under a different tent. Also, when were on the… Naruto Bridge she stayed far away from the shores. I always thought she was afraid of water… that means she was a mermaid to begin with not that she gained it while I've been gone.'_

He was thinking too much and didn't notice it was morning until the sun shone through the cave. He shielded his eyes from the sudden light and stood up. Sakura wasn't there… good… for a minute there he didn't think so he just stood up. He went through the cave and went back into his room, it was only beginning to get lighter, a few minutes after sunrise he guessed.

He went back through the window finding Karin murmur his name then purring, then after that a, "Oh, Sasukeee more… morrrre." in her sleep, he shivered. He decided to take a shower before she wakes up and gets an idea of going in with him. He made sure to lock the door behind him. He came out of the shower to find Karin gone, instead he found Sakura looking under the bed, then lifting the bed up with one hand and it didn't even look heavy to her. She put it down, "Where are you?" she murmured to herself.

I lifted my eyebrow, "Who?" she didn't look up, "Ken-kun…" she said. "Who's that?" he asked her. She looked up to him annoyed with all the questions, then her eyes widened about just one millimeter. Sasuke was standing in the doorway of the bathroom with only a towel covering him (Aaaah! Nose bleed!) She looked away, "He's an animal… and he took something." She said bluntly. "What kind of animal." She twitched, "When did you become so… interrogative, Uchiha-san?" she asked, he cringed, '_Uchiha-san?_'

Then suddenly they heard a squeak, they looked on to the roof and there was a bat there. "Ken, come down here." Sakura commanded but it shook its head and instead transformed into a mouse and 

jumped to the floor where it climbed Sasuke's foot holding what in its mouth what seems to be a hair pin. Sakura tried to capture it and Sasuke was trying to get it off him. Now it was on Sasuke's shoulder and Sakura got it but the sheer force that she used to take it made them tumble. Sakura on top of Sasuke, Sakura's lips ended up on Sasuke's cheek since he was facing sideways and Sakura was facing straight ahead. (So close, if he didn't turn his head they would've kissed XP) Sakura's eyes looked away and mumbled a sorry then she got off him with Ken on her shoulder.

After Sakura left Sasuke got up and touched his cheek, _'Her lips are so soft and warm…' _then he looked at his hand which touched hers during the fall, _'But her hand was so cold'_ he grimaced, then started to change.

Downstairs on the large dining table after a while, Karin was eating grapefruit and OJ; Jugo was eating leftover steak; Suigetsu was eating rice with potato; Sasuke had rice and meatballs while Sakura just picked at her food. Sasuke looked at her in secret, '_Why isn't she eating… she was light enough when she fell on me… too light if you ask me, and she still isn't eating anything.' _He was concerned.

She then looked at the clock which was on the wall, "I have to train with Tsunade-sama in thirty minutes so better finish up in fifteen." She told them commandingly, Karin stood up, "And why should we listen to you?" Sakura glared at her and in a second had Karin pinned to a wall by her neck, "If you don't want to die then I suggest you shut it." She said, let her go and walked away to her room.

Karin just stuck out her tongue, got up and went up to her room. When she got there she took her brush and combed her red hair, "'If you don't want to die I suggest you follow my instructions'" Karin mocked, "As if… she's just a… a… a witch… yeah that's what she is, with those freaky powers… no one will ever love her, even for a minute. I curse her to be alone for the rest of her life." Karin smirked (And die! B of a Karin, you don't have any right to say that to Sakura! Blows fire from mouth and burns Karin to a crisp evil laugh)

Sakura after she got into her room sank low to the ground and clutched her head, "here we go again… the disadvantages in these stinking powers." She murmured to herself.

Downstairs Sasuke ordered Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo to wait for him outside saying he would get Sakura. Karin just huffed and swiftly turned around making her red hair swish against Suigetsu's face who was now wiping his tongue with his hand getting the hair off.

He was nearing Sakura's door when he heard a _thud_ sound. He became alarmed and opened the door…


	4. Confession

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 4: Confession

Sakura was lying on the floor face down to the ground while coughing violently. He ran next to her and grabbed her shoulders firmly but not as to hurt her. He turned her over and laid her head on his lap when he kneeled down to the floor. "Sakura… what happened…" he asked slowly, Sakura was breathing hard with her eyes closed. "I… I… had a vision…" she said in between frantic breaths.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "What kind?" he asked slowly trying not to press the girl. "N-Naruto… Akatsuki… Itachi…" his eyes widened. "Naruto… the Akatsuki are looking for him… Itachi precisely." Sakura nodded weakly. Sasuke was angered but his thoughts stopped when Sakura held onto her stomach. He saw blood… _'The wound reopened… that's why she didn't eat, and she had this coughing fit.' _Without another word he picked her up bridal style and flash stepped away to the Hokage Tower.

Outside team Hebi noticed something flash by them real fast. They considered it as Sasuke, and Karin wailed for him to come back while the two boys carried her back into the house struggling because she just didn't want to go with them. She even took the liberty of digging her nails into the ground. (Sigh… that B will never change…)

Sasuke immediately went through the window of the Hokage's office to see Tsunade finishing off a bottle of sake. She turned around and spit out the drink that was in her mouth, "Come quickly!" she urged. They fast stepped to Konoha Hospital rushing through the hallways, until they found the emergency room where Sasuke gently laid her down on the bed. Tsunade opened the front of her shirt but Sasuke just stood in the dark corner watching her every move.

"The gash on her stomach reopened…" she noted to herself. She swiftly opened the now stained bandages and threw them on the floor, and then she began her work. Half way through Tsunade started to ask some questions, "What happened?" Sasuke's eyes drooped, "We were going to go out when I checked on her… because she was taking a long time," he précised, just to make the matter clear, "I found her lying on the floor. She told me she had a vision." He said.

"Is that so… what was the vision about?" she asked clearly moving her hands in a professional way. "Naruto is going to fight Itachi." Tsunade stiffened, "I just sent him on a mission a few hours ago…" her eyes widened at the thought. Sasuke was beginning to have more and more questions about Sakura… in truth he really didn't know her at all. He doesn't know about her family, or any other personal thing about her.

"What happens when she has visions?" he asked. "Usually… most of the visions tell about the bad things that will come… another reason why she has lost her smile." She grimaced; Sasuke looked down, "Also…" Sasuke made a grunt as to say to continue, "Whenever she has visions about a person getting 

hurt or… killed… she is able to feel what the person is feeling. Sometimes it may be the victim… others she is the killer. When she has visions where she is the killer… she… well… becomes… a…"

"Mermaid?" he took a guess, Tsunade alerted turned to him, "You know?!" she asked. "I saw her… in her mermaid form… bathing." He looked away, Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "Be glad she was wearing a bra when you saw her… or if I find out she wasn't wearing a bra… then I will… kill… you." She warned. "So, what happens when she's the victim?" he asked changing the subject. "She's like this… if she has any wounds… she'll unconsciously reopen them herself… if she has a broken leg… she would break the cast and further damage the bone…"

'_That's why she seems so… fragile and delicate.'_ He thought. "Believe me… I'm glad you were there in time to stop her…" she said, "But she didn't do anything," he said. Tsunade turned to him again, "She didn't?!" He shook his head, "I found her lying on the floor… that's just it." He explained. "She's happy…" she said mainly to herself. Sasuke's eye brow rose questioning her statement. She just sweat-dropped and turned away embarrassed to be talking to herself.

'_Sasuke returning had this much effect on her? Usually she would try to jump off Hokage Mountain or something… the only one who can stop her from doing this is well… the Hyuuga… Neji… but even so… he couldn't stop her from hurting herself; Now we have the Uchiha who can?'_

"Finished… now… I want you to keep her company for an hour or so. I have to start my rounds around the hospital… I know I know… I will send an ANBU to guard your teammates while Sakura is staying here and whatever you do… don't come in contact with her fists no matter what." She warned him. "Don't let her get up until I arrive… don't let her out the door." she explained. She then walked over to the door and locked it behind her. "Just for safety…" she said through the door.

Sasuke was now alone with a sleeping Sakura. He approached her bed and looked at her face; he hesitantly brushed away the hair that was sticking on her face, for a brief moment his fingers contacted with her skin and she seemed to lean into his touch, _'small, fragile, delicate… and pale.' _He frowned. _'She hasn't been eating properly and every night I could hear shuffling of papers in the room next door.' _he sighed, "how annoying," he then noticed something that was hidden by her hair all the time… or maybe he was just dense so he didn't notice it. He stumbled back a few feet; he pushed her hair aside from her left shoulder.

He gaped… yeah he gaped; on her shoulder was none other than a curse mark. It looked very different, but it was indeed a curse mark. Without thinking he traced his fingers around it and it made her face scrunch up and moved her shoulder away. _'This must be it!'_ he figured.

A few weeks before he left Orochimaru, Orochimaru was working on something. Kabuto talked to him about a curse more powerful than Sasuke's own. Orochimaru spent so much time and energy on it that one day he collapsed from exhaustion. That didn't stop him though… he finished just when I decided to leave.

And here it was… five petals around one single dot… making a flower tattoo on her shoulder... the Heaven curse. What made the big difference was the color… instead of all black… it was a pure white 

color with only the borders of black. "Sakura…" he absent-mindedly whispered, and as if on cue her eyes fluttered open at that instant.

She confirmed her surroundings before sitting up in bed only to find that there was no back and she carelessly let herself drop… which was going to hurt because the metal around the bed mustn't be too comfortable. But luckily Sasuke was there once again, to catch her fall. "Don't be so careless… it's annoying." He added and laid her head back on the pillow.

She was just looking at the ceiling not bothering at all… and that got on his nerves. "Sasuke… please remove your hand from me…" she suddenly said, he looked down to where his hand was still stuck on her shoulder like glue. He quickly removed it and looked to his side, "When- he started but was cut off, and "Last year… on a mission… to get you back…" she whispered the last part. He cringed… it was his fault that she got hurt… again.

He tightened his fists, until his knuckles turned white, and then he felt familiar warmth. He looked down to his hand which was now being held by Sakura's smaller ones. "It's not your fault I got hurt… again." She said. _'How did she know what I was thinking?'_

"I know what you were thinking because when you're troubled you're easy to read… and also… I can read minds… but only if they let their guard down." She whispered to him and took her hand back and already he was missing the warmth. As he was about to speak, the door busted open and fell to the ground. Tsunade sweat-dropped, "Sorry… I lost… the umm… keys." She stated.

"Alright… the situation is worse than I thought. Naruto is already gone, and all our free ANBU are either on missions… or in Suna to help out with the shortage of Ninjas there. For a mission like this we will need top rank ninjas. Sakura got up, "I'll go," she said, "But-

"I'll take Neji and Shikamaru with me… and Sasuke also." She added. Sasuke and Tsunade were indeed surprised, "Sasuke? But he's on probation," Sakura looked at Tsunade, "We are short in ninjas and we need at least four to take on the sound ninjas that are with Itachi… coming on the orders of Orochimaru."

Tsunade hesitated, "Go… but make sure to come back here." She was concerned for her subordinate; even though she has passed the teacher… she's like a daughter for the Hokage.

She nodded and looked over at Sasuke who was already activating Sharingan, Tsunade threw them a scroll and they flash stepped outside the hospital and ran. Neji and Shikamaru were contacted by Sakura stating what was to happen. They caught up with each other as they sped out over the Konoha gates.

Neji and Sakura activated Byakugan, It was Sakura followed by Shikamaru; then Sasuke and Neji in the back. They ran on the trees at a fast pace, until… they could smell something very familiar in the air… blood.

They quickened their pace and finally got to the scene, Naruto was lying on the ground… but no Itachi to be found around. Sakura went to Naruto's side and started healing him immediately; her eyes then glowed blue. "Shikamaru… take Naruto back to Konoha… Neji… sound nins will be after them in less than 10 minutes and 47 seconds, help them. Uchiha… come with me." Neji hesitated… but she was right.

"Be careful," he said gently to her… which annoyed the heck out of Sasuke, but didn't know why he was feeling this way. The two groups went their way, Sasuke with Sakura now tracing the steps of Itachi.

They arrived to an old abandoned dojo. They went inside careful off traps that might be still on use. They came to two corridors; one leading left, the other leading right. "Uchiha, you go left, I'll go right, if you find anything, just power up your chakra." She said and she went her own way… but something was amiss with the building and she had a weird feeling about it.

She passed by doors which were burned, and was wondering if there ever was a fire that burned this dojo. She got so curious that she couldn't help but inspect it, _'No… it wasn't a fire… it was a fire based jutsu that missed its target…'_ she grew curious but was woken from her findings to a noise in the room two doors down. She reached into her pocket and took out a white puff, "Ken…" then the puff turned into a small bird. She petted it lightly, "go see what's in that door over there," she whispered to it and let it go. Ken turned into a mouse and followed his master's orders.

He crept into the dark room… he couldn't see well enough in the dark so he transformed into a bat. Since bats are deaf, he used his hearing to figure out that someone was indeed in the room and cried out when he saw red eyes appear after turning back into a mouse. Sakura was alarmed and slowly made her way to the door… then she felt a jolt throughout her body, _'A Sharingan user is near here… Itachi… looks like I've already been found.'_ She sighed internally. She pushed the door open.

Then realization hit her… it was a trap! The dojo disappeared to show a forest, _'Damn… that was his plan… this part of the forest is thick… no chakra could be sensed in these parts… plus to find your way back, it was impossible if not having a compass or an air view.'_

Itachi appeared, "Haruno… Sakura." He whispered and launched a needle at her but it missed at the last second, while her view was towards the needle, he threw another one… but that was just a distraction also for he shot one to the back of her neck and she blacked out.

Ken trying to get his master back with no avail, he then turned into a dog and went to find his way back to Sasuke… or 'Mistress's lover' as he likes to call him and whenever he did Sakura would hit him on the head. After a while his smell got stronger until he found Sasuke looking around franticly… he sweat-dropped, _'Well… I guess some people can't keep their cool when face with danger…' _he mused.

Sasuke saw a white dog coming towards him and it transformed into… a human. He had long white hair tied at the back with clear white eyes… almost an exact replica of Neji! "Mistress has been captured by Itachi." He said. Sasuke's eyes widened, "Lead me to where she is…"He said alarmed. Ken shook his head; "I cannot lead you to mistress until you have calmed down Mr.Uchiha" he said and stood his ground. Sasuke was annoyed and then was surprised when Ken transformed into another human… Him!

This Sasuke had silver hair and stunning clear blue eyes. Sasuke twitched, "Okay… just stop that." Ken smiled contentedly and transformed to what seems like his normal self (He looks like Yuki from fruits Basket) "Follow me," he said in a calm and quiet voice.

Sakura woke up to find herself on a bed. Her hands were chained behind her back away from each other making it impossible to break free. "Damn," she muttered a string of curses. "Such a foul mouth for a beauty such as you," A Calm and… kind voice? Called out to her.

She looked up Sharingan ready to interfere with his… but she only gazed upon onyx orbs. "Itachi…" she whispered.

(A little spoiler)

"Haruno…" he looked down to the ground. He wasn't wearing his Akatsuki cloak… he was just wearing what Sasuke used to wear; a blue top/gray pants. "Why did you do this? I thought you were my friend." Sakura said. Itachi looked guilty, "Your pet was watching… if he finds out and tells Sasuke… that could be a big problem." He answered quietly. "What's up with the chains then?" she asked him.

"I was afraid that after I got you, you would be mad at me… like you are now and leave." He said. Sakura felt sorry; "I'm sorry…" she said and looked at her lap. Itachi climbed on the bed over to her, he took out a key and unlocked the chains. Her wrists were now red from the pressure; he touched it gently and she hissed. He looked at her, "What's wrong?" he asked worried.

(REMINDER: This is not Ooc! **SPOILER**: Itachi is good… nice… it's because he was forced to kill his family, not he wanted to. Madara Uchiha and Danzo forced him to do it and let live Sasuke. He is not evil!)

(In this story Itachi told Sakura everything about the secret of his past. Sakura now was friends with him)

She took her hands back and rubbed her wrists, "I sprained it a while ago," she explained to him. He felt even guiltier (lots of guilt going around the place) than he was before, "you shouldn't overwork yourself." He took her hands in his own, "Do you have an ointment?" he asked her inspecting her hands, "That question doesn't need to be asked, I always have a cream for injuries… I'm a medic for goodness sakes!" She pouted. Itachi just chuckled and Sakura reached into her pouch and got out her own recipe cream.

He took some in his hands and started to gently massage her wrists, then her hands. "Relax… Your hands never change… still as soft as I remember them when you saved me from falling off a cliff by grabbing onto my hand." She smiled a little, there are only a few people that could make her smile… and one of them is indeed Itachi.

'_Itachi is just like an older brother to me.'_ Itachi looked up to see her face, "What are you thinking about?" he asked her. "Oh… nothing much… oh yeah, Tsunade gave me something to thank you." She reached with her free hand a scroll. She handed it to him, "I'll finish this after this," he said meaning her hand.

He opened it and read…

_Dear Uchiha Itachi,_

_I have learned what happened to your life and your decision. I will not announce any of this to the people until you say it is okay. It will clear your name from the world's history as one of the most wanted criminals… but as a hero that risked his own life to save Konoha… even if it had a price of your clan. I thank you sincerely. I will repeat; this information will be kept a secret until you feel it is time for the world to know._

_Sincerely,_

_Tsunade_

_P.S: Thank you for saving Sakura… _

He laughed, "That good old Tsunade." He said then he lost his smile. Sakura frowned also, "He's coming," Itachi pointed out. "He won't be here for a while," Sakura said as her eyes turned foggy, "Sound nins will stop their way for a while… you were right, Ken is guiding him."

"I wish you didn't have to go," he pouted like a twelve year old. Sakura giggled and gasped when he held her shoulders and slid his head down on her lap and closed his eyes. He sniffed, "You smell good," he said dreamily. Sakura just smiled and stroked his hair in a calming way. "You're like the brother I never had." She whispered to him. He suddenly opened his eyes and turned his body so he looked her in the eyes.

"A brother… that's all?" he asked in monotone almost like Sasuke… but there was something else in his voice… was it… hope? Disbelief?

Sakura was about to respond when Itachi leaned upwards and kissed her lightly on the lips. She didn't push away… but didn't respond either. He moved away from her ashamed, "I'm sorry," he apologized. She touched his arm, "I will tell you the same thing that I told Neji when he did that to me," he turned to face her, "I cannot return your feelings… not now…" she shook her head slowly emphasizing the meaning of not now.

"I've gotta go now…" she said. She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed the other. She flash stepped out of the little shack and met face up with Ken. "Ken!" she gasped and hugged him, he too hugged her back. "Uchiha…" she noted. "Did you find him?" he asked. "He got away just a minute ago." She lied. Sasuke nodded his head after sensing no life form around them.

They didn't talk the way back… why would they when THE Uchiha Sasuke was right next to them?

When they arrived they reported right away to Tsunade. "So… what happened?" she asked after Sasuke left being dragged by Karin all the way. "Itachi just wanted to talk with a friend for a while… how was Naruto?"

"He's fine… minor scratches and one broken rib that will heal in about… two days at the least." She explained. Sakura nodded and Tsunade dismissed her. She went back home to see Neji glaring at Sasuke and vice versa while Karin was taped to the wall with Jugo and Suigetsu who were trying to calm down the two prodigies. They noticed she was there and immediately everything went strangely quiet. "What?" she asked, they shook their heads. Sakura raised an eyebrow, "If anyone's looking for me I'll be in my room as usual." She said before retreating to her quarters.

Once she got inside she dropped to her bed and put her hand across her forehead… which by the way she has grown into beautifully. She sighed, "Neji, Itachi… what am I gonna do with you guys?" she asked to herself. Then she heard a knock at her door, "Come in," and in came Neji. He sat down on the side of her bed, "How are you feeling?" he asked softly. "I wouldn't say good… but I wouldn't say badly either… I guess… I'm stressed," Neji sweat-dropped.

"And you just only realized that now?" he asked her in disbelief. "Hey… stop making fun of me… and what do you mean 'now'" she asked him sitting up in bed; supporting her weigh on her elbows.

"Come on, everyone's noticed it… you work too much and too hard. You're almost always on missions… You do Tsunade's paperwork… you fill out patients' paperwork… you use your chakra too much in training when already you used most of it in healing… and I've been hearing from Team Hebi that you haven't been eating… and also those bags under your eyes that you're trying to hide just gives away that you haven't been sleeping either." He sighed, "What am I going to do with you?" he asked to no one in particular. Sakura turned her body and looked outside the window. Suddenly she felt hands on her shoulders. "Relax," he whispered in her ear and began massaging her by flowing out his own chakra in a light heat around her body.

Sakura's eyes became droopy, and she moaned when he took his hand away after ten minutes, Neji just lightly chuckled, "I have to go… I'll see you later kay?" he said to her then exited the room. Sakura sighed…

At dinner she didn't come down for breakfast and when everyone finished, Karin went up to her room (a separate one) she said that if Sasuke wants her to sleep with him again he would have to beg her. The other two boys too. He decided to bring her food to her (well we all know who 'he' is), he didn't want her to waste away such beauty… wait… such beauty? Where did that come from he asked himself. Also… he was going to get some answers to some questions he's been meaning to ask for a while now.

He knocked then without waiting for an answer he opened the door and welcomed himself in. He took a good look at her room. Her bed was on the far left side corner near a window, a desk filled with papers and scrolls opposite on the other side. A cherry wood wardrobe next to it; a light purple rug across the entire floor; walls painted the saddest color of blue and ninja weapons on the corner… and sticking from the walls. The only light was coming from the open window inviting in cold spring breezes. He frowned, it has been a whole two weeks since he arrived here… and the weird part was… it was another full moon.

She seemed to be fully awake turning away from him lying on the bed. "I've brought you some food." He said and cleared some space on her table to place the tray on. He went over to her since he noticed she was ignoring him. She looked up at him from the corner of her eyes, "Thank you," she said which came out as barely more than a whisper.

She sat up and swung her feet over the edge of the bed and started walking towards her desk. "Are you a mermaid?" he asked getting right to the point, then feeling kind of stupid for asking such a question that no normal person would ask.

She quickly turned her head to him, "I don't know what you're talking about." She said. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "I saw you two weeks ago…" he said. Her eyes widened, "Why were you following me?" she asked. "Don't change the subject." He objected. "I'm not… it's you who is the stalker." He was getting mad and finally he pushed her against the wall, "Answer me," he said through gritted teeth.

"No…" she just answered simply, he put pressure on her shoulders then she winced and her legs gave out on her and she sank to the ground with only Sasuke's hands to keep her from falling over. She crossed her arms over her shoulders. After seeing that he immediately let go off her and she fell. _'Why… why do I always hurt the ones I care about… now because of me… this one might not care for me anymore.'_

"It's not you… it's just… that my shoulders got hit." She said trying to read his mind but the wall covering him just wouldn't let her through to his mind. He looked down ashamed… hurting a woman that was already injured… even worse… hurting a woman that had feelings for him… cared for him for many years already… since well… primary school.

He approached her, and then winced when she tightened her hands around her small body. He tried to say something but no words ever come easy to him… especially when it was apologizing. He neared her then finally picked her up and laid her onto the bed with her stomach down, she tried to get up again only to be pushed down firmly, he went close up to her ear, "Relax…"

'_One relax coming from Itachi… another coming from Neji… and now he's telling me to relax?!... I guess… I really am stressed out.' _Major sweat-drop on that one.

(This is not a lemon… just for those with perverted minds… no offense or anything)

He unzipped her top and she put her hands over it to relieve her of it… then he unclasped her bra and pulled the strings apart… trying to not blush… and Sakura was hiding her face in her blanket. He took the oil off of the small bedside table when he noticed a picture frame… it was lying down so no one could see the picture. He silently turned it over to find the old Team 7 picture… but something was wrong… the glass was broken in the middle… and on the edges where it was broken was some dried out blood.

'_She did this?' _he asked himself before proceeding to go where Neji had been also. He rubbed some oil on his hands and gently touched her soft silky skin. He frowned once again… she was shivering. Well duh, who wouldn't be when you're wearing a tube top in spring when the weather isn't that warm… at night… with the window open!

He closed the window to stop the current of air and started to finally massage her. He started with her back which he poured oil on and spread it drawing circles on her back, and then massaged her shoulders. After a few minutes he went lower (to her feet and legs if anyone takes it the wrong way!). Her skin was soft and warm, it made him want to rest his face on it and see what it was like on his cheek. After an hour he finished, "Thank you… Sasuke… kun" she whispered dreamily. The sides of his mouth just tilted upward a little, "Glad I could help," he wanted to say but it just came out as a, "Hn," (Typical huh?)

He sighed at his own stupidity of one syllable words. What surprised him the most was when she finished clasping back her bra; she stood up took his cheek in one hand and kissed the other… just like she did with his brother. Then suddenly she fell limp, and he caught her… and blushed slightly at the sight of her blackish blue bra… his favorite color.

He tucked her into bed but didn't leave right away. He gazed at her face… having a glowing effect in the moonlight. He found himself approaching her closer and closer, then… his lips met her soft cheek… and it sent a spark throughout his body. He pulled back up, "I'm sorry…" he finally said, although… the way he said it… it almost sounded like… a confession.

When the door closed… a small smile spread on her lips and she touched her still burning cheek…

The next day…

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune shakily knocked on the door. "Hmm?" Tsunade woke up, "Come in!" she said and yawned. Shizune awkwardly stepped in slowly as if afraid. "Umm… someone's… gulp… here…" she 

said slowly. "Who?" Tsunade asked wondering who could've traumatized her apprentice. Shizune opened the door wide to reveal…


	5. Killer, Puppeteer and Artist

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Here's the second chapter as promised, enjoy and please review!

Chapter 5: A killer, A puppeteer and An Artist… presenting… The Akatsuki!

Tsunade gasped and fell back from her chair, she slowly got herself up and then whispered the name that she thought she would never get to meet, "Uchiha… Itachi…" He nodded almost like saying 'duh!' she fixed her desk and took out his file… "What brings you here?" she asked him hesitating. "I… I want to stay here… I'll gladly accept any punishment you give me." He said mournfully.

"What is the reason you are back and what have you done to prove yourself worthy to stay here?" she asked and told Shizune to note it down. "I… I want to make amends with Konoha. Be one of its protectors, like I was before. I prove myself worthy because I killed the number one bandit that was going to cause war from the Earth Country… and I killed the leader of the Akatsuki, Pein… I am now the leader of the Akatsuki… they are all in your powers... at least the ones that are still alive."

Tsunade gaped… she couldn't belive what she was hearing. The Akatsuki literally dropped dead in front of her. They were in her power… she couldn't believe it that she fainted… and also because of the overdose of sake… "Ah, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune went over to her and shook her until she woke up. "Yes!" she shook her head, "Now I don't know what the council will do to you but… I will assign you to an ANBU right away to come here and pick you up." She said taking a book out to check all the available ones. Itachi opened his mouth to say something then hesitated, "I… would like Sakura…" he said.

Tsunade smirked, "You have grown a liking to my apprentice but I warn you… if you hurt her in any way you will die." She warned him then smiled. "I'll call her over…" she said.

Sakura was putting away her clothes when a messenger arrived, "Haruno-sama… The Hokage wants you in her office right now." He said then disappeared. Sakura changed quickly into a Dark blue tank top that said 'I warned you…' in red that looked like it was written in blood. Put on her black shorts with dark blue stripes going down then she jumped out the window.

Tsunade waited for her student to arrive by asking some random questions, "So… what's your favorite color?" she asked, "Midnight blue" but it wasn't his voice that answered her instead Sakura kneeled on the window sill, looking at Itachi. "Its midnight blue is it not?' she asked. He just nodded in response and looked away. "Sakura… Itachi chose you to be his guardian for the time being." She stated, Sakura nodded and a small smile spread across her face. "Follow me and you'll want to wear this for the time being…" she said.

She threw him her ANBU uniform since his clothes were torn apart almost to the point of falling apart. (DROOL… O.o) He put it on and went their way. They arrived at the mansion to be greeted by a thick silence in the air. Then Sakura said, "Neji, tie up Sasuke…" all of them looked shocked for a moment but internally Neji was laughing evilly.

He did as he was told and Sakura snapped her fingers to show the man hiding behind the mask and for that matter clothes. They all gasped except Shikamaru who was just wide-eyed and mouth open. Sasuke started to fume and tried to run towards him but Neji gripped the chakra rope tighter. "Itachi Uchiha… will be under my guard also." She announced. She went over to Sasuke who activated Sharingan; she took the rope from Neji then led Sasuke and Itachi up to Sasuke's bedroom.

There for one long hour you could hear Sasuke's screams, then Sakura's voice telling him to calm down. In the room, Itachi finished telling his story to a raging Sasuke. After a few minutes of silence all the screaming was over and Itachi came out of the door looking down, went downstairs and sat down on the couch then they could hear _crash crack_ from the bedroom.

Back in the room…

Sasuke was about to crack; he was standing in the middle of the floor breaking everything he could see and Sakura was just watching him from one of the corners of the room.

"**Aren't you going to stop him?" **inner Sakura asked.  
"It's been a long time… where were you…" the real Sakura asked.  
**"I have been… sleeping… your mind went blank after you gained your powers and it made me weak and I just woke up…"** she explained.  
"Oh, and no… I'm not going to stop him…" she said mentally.  
**"Doushite?"** inner Sakura asked tilting her head.  
"He needs to blow off some steam… remember when we found out about our clan?" she asked herself. Inner Sakura looked down.  
**"Yeah… we didn't eat for days… we wouldn't leave our parent's bedroom. We would go on a rampage and break everything in sight whenever someone came to visit us." **She answered.  
"It must be harder to find it out by the person who caused it though." Sakura said.  
**"Yeah… I can't belive that they're both back… I wonder how much time he will need to heal from this?" **inner Sakura asked.  
"He never healed in the first place… he was hurting all along for 16 long years so this is just the beginning of the healing." Sakura said, and then her little talk with her inner ended.

She looked up to see Sasuke rip apart the wallpaper and break the shelves. Sakura sighed; he finally stopped after he turned over the desk. He collapsed but before he could fall Sakura caught him, and he cried… for the first time in a long time… he cried freely, setting free all the emotions he's been holding for God knows how long. He cried on her lap holding her hand while her other one stroked his hair in comfort. She closed her eyes, "It's going to be okay…" she whispered to him and he calmed down… but the tears didn't stop.

He sat up and looked away from her eyes. She reached into her back pocket and took out a handkerchief. She slowly wiped away the tears and the tear stains from his face. He looked at her in the eyes and thought, _'So this is how it feels to be emotionally weak… I wonder if Sakura felt this way when I left…'_ Bad move on his account to let his guard down…

"I did feel the same way… Sasuke… I felt torn apart." She answered him as she stood up and started to pick up the broken glass pieces that were spread on the floor. His gaze never faltered from her, he looked at her intensely. _'In truth… compared to her… I'm weak… she's the strongest of Naruto or me… maybe not physically… but emotionally.'_

Sasuke's sensitive side finally emerged from within himself at that moment. A few minutes later he was seemingly started to drift off to sleep in the bed that Sakura took from another room and threw away the old one which was ripped to pieces. He closed his eyes when he heard her footsteps slowly traveling to the doorway, "Don't go…" he said. She turned around and went back to his side, and whispered to him, "I'll come back and give you your dinner." She whispered to him and he let her leave.

He didn't deny that he was an emotional wreck and the only one who can help him is Sakura… she's the only other one that knew how to get through this.

She went downstairs, "Itachi…" she said and tilted her head in the direction of the kitchen. He followed her and while she was cooking he told her about some things. "Tell about all of the members of the Akatsuki…" she said taking out some fresh meat. Itachi got himself comfortable on one of the chairs.

(Some things are different here I just wanted to point out. The ones that have the in the beginning of sentence is a real fact)

"I killed Pein; Deidara is somewhere out there; Shikamaru Nara killed Hidan; Kakuzu as you know was defeated by the Kyu- I mean Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi; Orochimaru's minions killed Kisame; Konan went away saying that she needs to start her own life; Tobi… I mean Madara Uchiha, was killed by Hatake Kakashi; Sasori also left elsewhere; Zetsu died from poisoning after a battle with old woman Chiyo."

"I see so the only ones left are Konan, Deidara, Sasori and of course you." She stated. He nodded, and smelled the aroma, "What is it?" he asked, "For you and the others it will be pork and rice… and for Sasuke it will be some tomato soup." He tilted his head, "And you?" he asked. She stayed silent, he frowned, "Sakura, you're not eating?" he asked her firmly. She didn't answer him, "Sakura…" he said her name sternly. "Fine, I'll eat in my room okay?" he raised an eyebrow saying that he didn't believe her.

"Okay fine, you can ask Ken to watch me." She said. He smirked contentedly, "Good."

An hour later the food was ready and everyone sat on the long table their seating arrangement was like this:

Neji, Shikamaru, Suigetsu, Karin, Jugo and Itachi; Sakura already took her share of food and went upstairs with the tray of tomato soup for Sasuke.

She knocked on the door and made a huge daisy appear in front of her and put the trays down on it and proceeded to open the door. Her eyes widened at the sight, the whole room was clean. "Thank you…" she whispered looking around the room. Sasuke smirked, "No problem." He almost said, but… unfortunately it came as a, "Hn…" (Wow… smooth… -.-)

The Daisy followed her in then with one of its leaves closed the door. He sat up and she put the tray in his lap. "Did you eat already?" he asked her taking a spoonful of the (delicious) soup. She stayed silent, "I take that as a no…" he mumbled quietly to himself. "You remembered…" he mumbled quietly enough so she wouldn't hear. She sighed, "I don't have time… I have a lot of paperwork to finish." She answered him. He glared at her, "You're too light… and now I order you to eat here and now." He said sternly giving her a look of 'Eat or I'll make you'

She sighed once more, snapped her fingers and the daisy walked over to her and reopened its petals (The daisy closed its petals so the food wouldn't get cold) she ate slowly at first, why? Because two eyes were fixated on her making sure that every spoonful of the vegetable soup gets down her throat. She stifled a giggle… she was not like that anymore…

"**Why aren't you like that anymore?"** her inner decided to make its appearance.  
"I lost the strength to smile when I saw myself killing or being killed in my visions… and those visions 

gradually become nightmares." Sakura answered.  
**"That's why you've deprived yourself of sleep? To stop the nightmares?"** her inner asked concerned for herself.

"Yes… that's a reason…" she answered quietly and her inner sighed.  
**"If Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru or Itachi ever were to find this out they would force you to stay in bed."** Her inner thought.

(Is that even possible? For an inner to think since the inner is the thought of the person?... I'm totally confused… but don't let that stop you, it happens to me all the time… XD) (A/N: Sorry I just had to put that in… when I heard that from the movie Bring it On, I almost fell over… wait a minute… I did! XP)

"**Everyone's worried about you, you know." **Her inner said.  
"And how would you know that?"  
**"I've talked to your friend's secret inners about the way you've been acting lately and they are all worried about you to no end." **She explained.  
"I'll have to thank them for the concern but I'm fine."  
**"Yeah… for now…" **  
"What do you mean for now?" Sakura asked calmly.  
**"I got a bad premonition about that Karin girl… you can only see the future from another person's point of view correct?" **her inner asked.  
"Yes…"  
**"Yeah… I've a bad feeling up my spine… just steer away from Karin and I think we'll be fine." ** Her inner warned.

The others finished, Neji and Shikamaru going home; Suigetsu and Jugo going to sleep; and Itachi taking a bath (O.o … drools… sorry, can't help it!)

And Karin… where is Karin? "That little witch is going to pay for this." She mumbled pressing her ear to the door. She stood up straight, "That b is going to pay…" she smirked evilly, "And I know how…" she reached the silver door and opened it, she took something from her pocket, "I was saving this for life threatening issues but this is more important… If I don't do this Sasuke-kun will lose all interest in me!" she wailed quietly. (That would work if he had any interest in you at all to begin with…)

Karin lit it up and put it under the desk where it was hidden (A/N: It's not a bomb) she smirked evilly and left the room reaching her place she plopped on the bed with a huge grin on her face.

Sakura left Sasuke's room and entered her own which was right next door to the left.

Karin smiled, "That little aroma therapy will slowly suck your energy day by day until you have no more power to even lift a finger…" she cackled, (And you're calling Sakura a witch?)

The next day…

Sakura woke up then she felt a barrier of tiredness push down on her like a ton of bricks and she fell back down. "What's wrong with me," she asked herself while getting up. She got up and once her feet touched the floor she fell back down, "What's wrong with my legs?" she said as she got up again getting balance.

Neji and Shikamaru already arrived and were talking to Itachi in the living room. Suigetsu just woke up while Jugo could be found outside sitting around. Sasuke was finishing off his breakfast in the dinning room. Karin was in the kitchen eating an apple and forced back a smirk when she saw Sakura, "How are you Sakura-san…" she said in a sing- songy voice. "Fine…" Sakura replied.

"**She's up to something… and it can't be good."** Inner Sakura grimaced.  
"Yeah, she's hiding something…" Sakura stated as a fact.  
**"Like I said before… keep a close eye on her… she might be up to something that can't be good for us…"**

"I think… she's already done it…"

"**Nani? What makes you say that?"**

"Because I woke up feeling tired all of a sudden my body wouldn't move."

"**Maybe it's just a coincidence because today is…" **but her inner didn't have the courage to finish the sentence.

Sakura's eyes widened and she let go of the plate she was holding and it made a loud _crash_ noise as it hit the marble floor. Everyone became alert and went to check out what the noise was. Karin smirked at her genius plan. (If only she knew… clueless slut)

"Sakura, what happened?" Neji asked helping her pick up the shards. "My hands just slipped… sorry," she mumbled. Neji was worried and took a glance towards Shikamaru whose eyebrows were knitted together, _'She would never just 'slip' up like this… something's wrong with her… and I'm gonna find out what it is…'_ he thought before leaving the house and going next to the waterfall, kneeled down on one knee; put his fingertips together and closed his eyes. He was totally oblivious to the weird stare that Jugo gave him.

After they cleaned up Sakura said she had to go to the market place to get some things and went up to her room, _'Yes… yes… the more time you spend in your room the more energy you lose…'_ she smirked evilly unaware that Sasuke was watching her all along. _'What is that girl coughslutcough up to this time…' _he wondered eyeing her then turning his attention to the retreating form of Sakura.

Sakura changed into a blood red tight t-shirt that said 'Read and Die' in bold letters; a dark pink knee-length skirt; red medium heeled ninja boots; black gloves; her hitai-ate; got her purse and went out the door.

She went into town receiving greetings from most children and women and ninjas. She came to the flower shop. "Hello, may I- oh, it's you Sakura… what's up?" Ino asked cheerfully. Sakura smiled back, "I just came to buy some flowers and some seeds to go along with it." She answered looking around for certain flowers.

Ino walked out next to her, "Any particular ones you're looking for?" she asked. Sakura thought putting her index finger on her chin, "Lilies… Wisterias… Irises… Red roses… and… some fresh spring daisies," Ino was surprised, "You sure you want that much?" she asked in disbelief. Sakura nodded innocently, Ino has never seen Sakura act this way since they were twelve and just smiled. "Okay, come with me the freshest Lilies are over to this side." She said pointing her finger in the direction. She got a dozen of each kind of flower and made Ken transport it… even though she said that she could handle it herself. _'Boys… always think that they're the king of the world.'_ She sighed mentally. When she got home she saw Sasuke sitting on a couch reading a scroll… Suigetsu outside swinging his sword… Neji and Shikamaru 

talking in a dark mysterious corner… and Karin flirting with Itachi… wait… rewind… and Karin flirting with Itachi.

She looked over to Sasuke who was putting on a smirk, _'I guess this is good news to him…'_ I sat down next to him, and looked at the scroll. _'Chakra Control huh? It looks like he's all brawns but no brains as to do something as simple as this.' _She mentally noted herself and stifled a giggle. Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eyes, "What?" he asked her. "Nothing… if you want I could teach you to better control your chakra," she said monotonously. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a loud… very, very… loud scream.

Karin looked up from her chair where she was sitting across Itachi and stopped winking at him and batting her eyelashes. "What was that?" she asked Itachi, "I'm scared, what if a killer was to come here and take me away from you!" she wailed, then pouted doing her best puppy dog face. "That would make my day," he told her simply and left. She gaped at him with her mouth open and narrowed her eyes when he approached Sakura.

"SAKURA-CHAAAAN!!" a scream to be heard throughout Konoha…

In Suna…

"SAKURA-CHAAAN!" Gaara jumped a little. Temari who was cooking pancakes she threw it too hard and Kankuro cut off the arm of one of his puppets when he was sharpening the swords.

10 minutes earlier…

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune walked slowly towards her elder. "What is it now Shizune?" Tsunade asked not pleased that she interrupted from work coughsakecough. "Well… someone's here to see you…" she said slowly. Tsunade sighed, "As long as it's not another Uchiha then let him in." she said. "Come in…" Shizune said then backing away just as fast.

"WAH!" then she fell from her chair. "A-another… Akatsuki member?..." she said quietly. She got up and sweat-dropped, "Sorry… now who are you?" she asked. "My name's Deidara…un…" he said looking around fascinated. "Aa… Deidara… what brings you here?" Deidara looked at her, "I'm here to… see someone… and live here…un…"

"What did you do for Konoha?" Tsunade asked. "Well… I… umm… hnn… I… ding!... I killed some bandits who were attacking an old lady!" he exclaimed. Tsunade and Shizune fell over anime style. _'He's even worse than Kakashi!'_ they both thought. "Umm… okay… I'll send an ANBU right away to pick you up… you're on probation for a long time Deidara…"

Deidara blinked, "I want Sakura Haruno…" he said simply. Tsunade looked over to him… "Nani?" he repeated himself, "I want Sakura Haruno to be my ANBU!" he yelled at her. "I'm sorry but she's already taken…" Tsunade explained him. He started tearing up and wailing, "I want Sakura-chan!" he said dropping on the floor and banging his fist like a five year old. "C-calm down… but I'm sorry…" she apologized. Deidara cried harder, "SAKURA-CHAAAAN!" he yelled loudly.

All gazes from the mansion turned to look at her (in chibi form) Sakura just sighed. "Coming…" she said to no one in particular. She went out the door and ran as fast as she could to Hokage Tower. When she 

got there she saw Deidara wailing on the floor while Tsunade tried to calm him down and Shizune hiding in a corner. "Sakura!" Tsunade exclaimed. Deidara stopped crying for a few seconds and kept sniffing then launching himself.

"Ah!" Sakura yelled as Deidara grabbed onto her leg and started hugging it. She shook her leg lightly as to shake him off… but he wouldn't budge!

"Deidara-kun… please let me go…" she said to him. He looked up at her, "Okay…" he said quietly and stood up then in one second he was pulling Sakura out the door saying, "Thank you, and goodbye… un!" he said waving to the girls. Tsunade went over to a wall and started banging her head on it. "What… bang … have … bang … I… bang … done…" she said. Shizune sweat-dropped, "It's okay Tsunade-sama…" and TonTon oinked for her to stop causing herself a head injury.

They ran to her place and when she came through the door… that familiar thick silence… desert herb rolling across the room cough

"Umm… Deidara-kun… this is everybody… everybody this is Deidara… kun…" she said. Sasuke glared at the both of them, _'Deidara-__**kun**__? Deidara-__**kun**__?'_ he flinched. Deidara waved at everybody, she sighed, "Neji-kun… please get Deidara some clothes from the seventh closet." She told him. Neji who was still shocked didn't move. She sighed again, "Shikamaru?" she turned to the boy laying on the couch. He opened one eye, "Fine, fine… at least I do something around here," he mumbled. major sweat-drop

Tsunade sighed, "What next?!" she yelled. Then a knock was heard at her door, "What?!" she screamed. The door opened, "Bloody hell, double shit…" she said before blacking out.

When she woke up she found her pink haired apprentice smile lightly at her. She got up from her desk, "I had the strangest dream… that Sasori was in this room." She said propping her elbows on her table and putting her head on it. Sakura sweat-dropped, "Well… how can I say this… he's here." She said simply and moved out of the way to find Sasori. "Okay… what're you doing here and blah, blah, blah…" she said turning her attention to the red head.

"I'm here because I want a new life… and I would like to…" he turned his head to look at Sakura, "Contribute my intelligence of poisons to help out Konoha." "You're hired!" she exclaimed with one hand up. "And I would like…" Tsunade put up her hand again, "Let me guess… you want Sakura to be your ANBU guard." She finished for him.

He simply nodded, "Fine, fine… you're on probation also like the others." She turned to look at Sakura. "Is this fine for you?" she asked. Sakura smiled… a genuine smile that Tsunade hasn't seen in so many years. "It's perfect…" she answered her and led Sasori out of the room. Tsunade gaped, and pointed a finger up, "I should've never let her go on that mission to get information on the Akatsuki…" she said knowingly before blacking out.


	6. When I Call You Sasukekun

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Sorry it's late! Anyways I hope you enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW!

Chapter 6: When I Call You Sasuke-kun…

Tsunade was working as usual, when Shizune walked in through the door and sat down on the chair in front of the desk. "Sakura looks happy… the happiest I've seen her in a long time!" she beamed. "Yeah… things are finally coming together for her…" Tsunade mumbled. Shizune blinked, "How is that?" Tsunade giggled, "You haven't noticed before?" Tsunade got comfortable in her chair.

"Think about it… Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto and Kakashi all coming back on the same day… it had so much of an affect on her that when she had a vision… she didn't try to kill herself. Then… comes the other Uchiha… a friend of hers for practically a year now… and she gained back that warmness and light that she possessed. Then we have Sasori and Deidara coming on the same day and she smiles." Shizune processed the information.

"This is like God's way of congratulating her I think…" Shizune said. "Yeah… first the loss of her parents… then her crush… then her best friend… then her sensei… she's become strong for them. She did it all for them… she worked herself up to her last sweat. Even now after everyone's back… she still trains to be the best she can be." Tsunade reminisced over the times they've trained together. They both sighed.

Tsunade frowned, "but I still should've never let her on that mission anyways." She said to herself.

Flashback… Sakura's POV

_I was running through the forest, "Shishou finally gave me a mission worth my strength!" I told myself. I ran through the forest at top speed when I got surrounded. The caped ninjas attacked me and after a long fight I ran out of chakra and blacked out. When I woke up I was tied up in a cell. Then a blond came in, "You're awake… un…" he said to me. Then two other people came into the room, I recognized straight away Itachi. I told them to let me go… at least tried to since my mouth was covered. _

"_We're going to be your guardians… un…" he exclaimed. "My name's Deidara… this is Sasori and Itachi!" he said happily. I narrowed my eyes at them._

_When I was eating, Sasori would keep me watch… when I was training, Deidara would… and while I was sleeping, Itachi would… from behind the cell of course! I was offered a bedroom… but to stay in a locked bedroom with a guy… you know what I mean!_

_Sasori was the type to stay quiet… and me too… then one day… "Why is your hair pink?" he asked out of the blue then turning away seemingly embarrassed. Yep, that's the first question he asked me. "For your information it's my natural hair color!" I hissed at him. "Why is it pink? Why can't it be a different color?" I winced… this guy was trying to annoy me to death or what?!_

"_Because my mother's hair was pink, what do you think?" I yelled back. He looked down, "It… suits you… Sakura…" he said and looked away once more. My cheeks started to burn, I scolded myself for doing that. Since then we would talk to each other on a regular basis. But I still wanted to get my revenge so the next question I asked was, "Why is your hair red?"_

_With Deidara he was a natural loud mouth and it made me think of Naruto… and that's how it began. I smirked, "What?" he asked me. "You just remind me of my best friend." I said throwing another shuriken to the poor tree trunk which split in two the next second. "Your best friend?" he started tearing up, "I _

_thought that __**I**__ was your best friend!" he wailed. I sweat-dropped, "Umm… you're my best friend too!" I said trying to calm him down. He stood up straight and beamed at me, "OKAY! So like I was saying, I hate rabbits… they're scary with those little beady eyes!"_

_As for Itachi… let's just say that I wanted to punch his lights out when he made his first conversation. He looked at me from behind the cell, "You have a nice ass." he exclaimed. My mouth dropped to the ground and I started running towards the cage. "Why you pervert!" I screeched. His eyes danced with amusement, "Articulation Sound System… A.S.S" he précised. "Nani?" I asked. "I saw you training and your articulation sound system is working." I raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"_

_He sighed, "The way your ears work… you could hear the tiniest sound that came from the chewing of Deidara's hands." I felt really stupid… and I did the only thing that would not further damage my pride and ego… I fainted. And I could see him smirk before my view turned blank._

End Flashback

Sakura came back with Sasori and the first thing that was pronounced was, "SASORI!" Deidara yelled and hugged the red head… at least tried to Sasori moved out of the way at the last second and instead Deidara fell onto Sakura. Neji, Sasuke and Itachi were all glaring at Sasori for not letting Deidara hug him. Sakura got Deidara to let go because of the tense mood coming from her three visitors.

Karin flinched, "That witch is getting all the attention!" she whispered harshly. Sakura went over to the flowers and picked the wisterias and lilies in her arms. She went out the door, "Where are you going?" Neji asked. Sakura stopped, "I'm going to visit **them**." She told him. Neji looked down, "Can I come with you?" he asked. "I would like that… thanks." She said. "We'll all go!" Deidara screeched. "But only if you don't make any noise." Sakura said as she walked out the door.

It was decided that they would all go. They came to a flower embroidered door made of stone. She touched the stone and it shone then opened. She went inside with the others.

The whole place was bordered with Sakura trees that just bloomed. It made a circle around two graves. She approached them, "Ohio… Okaa-san… Tou-san…" very quietly so no one else could hear her; she smiled bitterly and kneeled down to the graves and put the flowers on it. Then she watered it and lit up some candle sticks. She bowed her head down and put her hands together. The others just watched from afar.

"Who are they?" Suigetsu asked. "Her parents…" Neji answered sadly. "When did they die?" he asked again. "When she was little." He answered. "What were their names?" Neji flinched getting annoyed. "Yuri and Fuji." He stated sternly. "Oh,"

Sakura stood up, and then she bowed once more. Then they heard a _meow_ noise, they looked behind them to find Sasori holding a kitten in his arms that wanted to get away. It jumped out f his arms and ran towards Sakura and purred while going in a circle around her leg. She smiled; "Hello…" she said kneeling down and taking it into her arms. It meowed once more, Sasori approached her, "I… found it on my way here and it umm… reminded me of you…" he said shyly and looked away.

It was true… the cat was an unusual color of pink with blue eyes… just like her mother. You could say it was her in cat form. Sakura petted it, "I'm gonna call you… Sayuri." (Sayuri means little lily) It meowed as if saying okay.

"Glad you like it… Sayuri." She said again. Neji, Itachi, Deidara and Sasuke all glared holes into Sasori's back. Karin noticed this and fumed even more. "I'm going!" she huffed and puffed (and blew the house down! XD)

When she got back into the mansion, "That witch is getting all the attention of all the boys here!" she screeched. "Fine… be that way." She stormed up to Sakura's bedroom and put an extra three energy stealers in her room. "That'll teach you not to mess with me!" she said and stormed to her bedroom.

At dinner time as usual Sakura made some rice and chicken. The seating was arranged like this:

Sakura, Deidara, Sasori, Neji, Jugo, Shikamaru, Suigetsu, Karin, Sasuke, Sakura

Sakura picked at her food and when she said it was enough she went up to her room. Her four admirers just stared at the plate of food like it was an alien. ¾ of the rice was still there and she practically didn't eat any chicken either. The four boys just stared and finally Shikamaru got up, took the plate and headed upstairs.

He knocked on the door, and then went inside. "Sakura… there are a couple of problems that if you don't eat this they're gonna shove it down your throat." He said putting it on the daisy and heading over to her. He suddenly felt really sleepy and weak, _'I guess I should go to bed…'_ he told himself not caring; he was used to being lazy all the time that tiredness isn't such a big deal for him.

She was signing a folder then taking the contents out, reading them and writing. It made him want to go to sleep right then and there. It was so BORING! His eyelids began to droop; then yawned. Sakura who was now standing up and was now in front of Shikamaru asked him what was wrong. He didn't answer her though. "Hey, Shika, I'm talking to you!" he looked up, "Goodnight…" he said. "Goodnight?" she repeated. Then he fell on her… actually… he fell on her chest, she reddened, "KYAAA! PERVERT!" she screeched then she slapped him… which woke him up.

Everyone downstairs became alarmed. Then the door to her room opened harshly and out came a running Shikamaru being thrown out the room then some random things were thrown at him. "I'm sorry, it was an accident!" he said before the door slammed in his face. He sighed then moved his muscles, "I don't feel tired all of a sudden…" he mumbled to himself. He looked down to the living room and gulped when four pairs of burning eyes shot through him.

"It was an accident…" he mumbled and went downstairs to meet his doom. "What happened?" Jugo asked. Shikamaru blushed, "I fell asleep and…" he mumbled incoherent words after that. "What?" they all said. "I…" there he goes again with the mumbling. "What?" they all asked again. "I FELL ASLEEP AND LANDED ON HER CHEST OKAY!" he screamed then ran out the door. Everyone was silent… a gust of wind blows by

"I'm going home/to my room/to bed/to the couch/go out…" the five admirers said and left. Neji slammed the door in his wake. Sasuke stormed into his room slamming the door in Karin's face. Itachi jumped to the second floor and into his room and slammed the door in Karin's nose. Sasori picked up Sayuri and slammed the back door in Karin's hair making her stuck. Deidara jumped on the couch 

slamming the remote control onto the coffee table sweat-drop which landed on Karin's fingers. (a/n: HAHAHAHA XO)

'_That lazy bum is gonna pay!'_ they all though bitterly coughmurderouslycough.

Sakura sighed, "Things are going to get busy…" she mumbled to herself. She went over to her vanity, took a seat and started to comb her hair.

"**That was unexpected…"** inner Sakura commented.  
"Yeah… as they always say…" Sakura started.

"_It's always the quiet ones…"_ they both said at the same time and sighed.

"Yeah… he really believed in me for all these years… apart from Neji, I mean."

"**I saw… you're always calm when you're with him. You can tell him anything… unlike some people who would kill instead of listen."**

"I… I… I… don't know what I would've done without him."

"**He's smart… he already knew that we were talking to Itachi from day one."**

"He's more like a brother to me now… not the over-protective type but more of the… listening and talking."

"**Wow… he almost sounds like…"**

"_A sister…" _inner Sakura laughed her ass off, rolling on the floor. The real Sakura just gave a small smile.

"**You're no fun!" **inner Sakura pouted.  
"Huh, what do you mean I'm not fun?!"

"**You don't laugh… you only smile… and when it's a smile it's small… little… petite… microscopic… ultramicro-**

"I get it… I get it… God, when did you get so talkative?"

"**I didn't get talkative… you stopped talking… that's all."** She answered her.

"Yeah, well… well!..."

"Well what?" a voice asked from the window. Sakura became alarmed, then gasped, "Conan!" "Ssh! someone might hear you!" she said quieting the girl down.

"Sorry… what are you doing here?" "I went sight seeing for the first time in my life without killing someone, what do you think?" Sakura just smiled. **"Here we go again with just a simple smile…"** her inner butted in. _"You be quiet!" _Sakura shouted back in her mind. **"Fine… be that way! **_sticks out tongue then disappears._

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked patting her bed. Conan gladly went inside and sat down. "Oh, you know… everything I've always wanted to do ever since…" she looked down. "Ever since the Yondaime died…" Sakura answered and she curtly nodded. "May he rest in peace with his wife." She said quietly. Conan looked around the room, "I visited the Land of Whirpool where his wife lived before and she's known as a great hero there."

"Yeah… my mother and Kushina Uzumaki were great friends." Sakura told her. "Yeah… I smell something fishy going on in here…" she said looking around the room. "Oh, it's probably just Karin." She answered. "Karin?" "Yeah, one of Sasuke-san's teammates." Conan raised an eyebrow. "Sasuke-san? This couldn't be the famous other Uchiha that you told me about a year ago could it?" she asked. Sakura looked at her lap.

"I see, so it is… he's here…" she said quietly. "What happened to Sasuke-kun?" she asked. "He's gone…" Conan sighed, "He's not the one that's gone… you are…" she said. "Nani?" "Look… he hasn't changed by the way you described him to me a year ago right?" she shook her head. "You're the one that's making the illusion that he's changed when in reality…"

"_**You're the one that's changed…"**_ her inner and Conan said at the same time. "Yeah…" she smiled bitterly. "Cheer up! Anyways… I know this might be on short notice but…" "Let me guess… you want to stay in Konoha?" Conan smiled, "You know me well…" Sakura grunted, "Itachi, Sasori and Deidara are here so why not host all the remaining Akatsuki while I'm at it!" Sakura exclaimed. **"Now that's the kind of sister I want!"** her inner yelled out.

A few minutes later…

All was quiet in the room… "Tsunade-sama!" Conan exclaimed. "Conan, how you've grown!" the two girls shouted and hugged each other. "The last time I saw you was when you were still a genin!" they both laughed. "So what can I do for my favorite student…?" Sakura then made a face. "Oh, sorry Sakura… what can I do for my _other_ favorite student."

"I want to stay here." she stated. "Okay… you will be on probation like the others and you'll be staying with Sakura to save you the breath of saying it." Tsunade said taking out a text book and writing something in it. "Oh yes… Sakura… you'll have to ask all of them to fill out this form and all the formalities, you know all of this right?" Tsunade asked while handing out a large folder for her apprentice.

"Hai, shishou… have them fill the papers out; get their imprints and signatures; state the punishement and carry it out." She said. "Perfect, you may go now and goodnight!" Tsunade said falling asleep.

The two girls looked at each other, "Let's go."Sakura said leading them back the mansion. Everyone was asleep now it was midnight. Conan took the room to Sakura's right because Sasuke's was to her left. Sakura went back into her room and looked over the files. "I guess I could just fill out the names…" she said being a workaholic as she always is.

"Let's see…"

Name:

Age:

DOB:

Rank:  
Biological parents: yes no

Name of Father:

Name of Mother:

Signature,

Imprints,

That's what the paper said, "Uchiha Sasuke… Uchiha Itachi… Conan… Deidara… Sasori… Karin… Suigetsu… Jugo." She finished then yawed, "Time to go to… sleep?" it came out as a question before she dropped on the bed, needless to say… exhausted.

While she was sleeping and the body's reaction time slows; the energy stealer kept working, draining her energy at a fast pace.

The next morning…

Sakura woke up again to the ton of bricks coming down on her head. "Damn it," she mumbled getting up holding onto the wall while going to the bathroom. While she was in there was note taped onto the wall with an origami swan right next to it.

_Dear Sakura,_

_I thought that you and Sasuke-san needed some… alone time so I took everyone out into one of the various sights here in your estate. And you'd better thank me, forcing that Karin girl to go took me a while._

_The sister you never had,_

_Conan_

"Conan why you…" she said then clutched her stomach and dropped into the bath. There she fell asleep for 15 minutes before the water became cold and woke her up. She sneezed, "What?" she asked herself putting her towel on and got out… at least tried to but she slipped and landed back into the now cold bath sneezing, and now her towel wet.

She grabbed onto the wall for support and trudged her way out of the bathroom. She breathed heavily, and then she got a glimpse of something under the table that sent out little puff of smoke every two minutes before she really blacked out.

Sasuke woke up thinking it was going to be a bad day. And he was right… no one was there when he went downstairs and ate breakfast. He knocked on the doors but no one answered. He now decided to try Sakura's. He was about to knock when he heard moaning from inside, now he was not the one to assume. But right now he was assuming that she had another vision.

He opened the door to find her facing down sprawled on the ground breathing heavily. He ran to her and turned her over. She was red in the face and her eyes kept closing and opening. "What's wrong?" he asked. He then touched her forehead, "You're burning up." He mumbled. Then she turned her head to the side and pointed to her table. He knitted his eyebrows together. He picked her up and carried her over to the bed before checking the table.

With his Sharingan activated he was able to see smoke from under the table. He picked the cigarette like object in his hands and sniffed. "It's Genkaku… and the only one who I know has it is… Karin." He said her name with venom in his voice. (a/n: Genkaku means hallucination.)

He searched for any others to find three more. "Damn that B" he muttered to himself going downstairs and putting the drugs in water. The only way to suck out the herbs that was in there was to soak it in water. If you burn it the whole thing will explode and cover the whole area with the gaz.

He went back up into the room with a bowl of water and a small towel. He went into her room and covered her up with the thin blanket that was present. Since he didn't know where the extra blankets were he just added his thin blanket to help. He put the towel on her forehead. She seemed to calm down a bit. "C-cold…" she muttered quietly. (Hopefully we all know what's going to happen! A SasuSaku moment!)

He gulped and with hesitation climbed into bed with her with only the blankets to separate their bodies. He got closer to her and slowly put his arm around her stomach and pulled her close. He used his other one as his pillow. "Sasuke…" she mumbled. "Sasuke…" she repeated again. "I'm right here…" he said in her ear. "I… I… never stopped believing… that you would… come back…" she said. A single tear fell from her closed eyes and landed on Sasuke's cheek. (Yup! They were that close!)

"I'm sorry…" he said closing his eyes. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry." He said over and over again begging her for forgiveness. He stroked her hair gently, "I'm sorry… that I hurt you…" he said, shedding a tear of his own. He unconsciously held onto her tighter and brought her closer. He closed his eyes, "Can you ever forgive me?" he asked slowly. She turned her head so that theirs noses were touching, and their lips just centimeters away, "I don't know Sasuke… I don't know…"

He looked away, "Maybe someday…" she said quietly. He felt her breath on his face and unwillingly blushed. "When can I know?" she closed her eyes, "When I call you…" 'When you call me, what does that mean?"

"When I call you… Sasuke-kun…" she said before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

'_When she calls me Sasuke-kun… everyone else already got her trust… Itachi, Deidara, Sasori and Neji. She calls them kun… I've been called that way by her a long time ago. I already gained her trust… her love. Now I've gotta find a way to regain that trust and bond between us.' _He thought. He looked at her angelic face full of pain, sorrow and tiredness. He gently touched her cheek and ran his fingers bordering her face on her forehead; on her nose then on her lips and they stayed there.

He traced over her lips and can't help himself as he replaced his fingers by his lips. It was a sweet, warm kiss… just like her. He repositioned himself so his left arm was under her head, and his right was holding on to her waist and his face nuzzled in her hair. He breathed in her scent of fresh flowers and exhaled; a little smile was shown on his face.


	7. Dreams, Conflicts and Past Issues

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Again I'm sorry for the lateness, I hope you enjoy and please review!

Chapter 7: Dreams, Conflicts and Past Issues

Sakura woke up to warmth that she's been feeling for a while. She didn't want to open her eyes yet, it was her weekend off. She yawned and tried to stretch but something strong was keeping her down. She looked to her right to see Sasuke sleeping soundly. She couldn't help but stare at his perfect face… or the fact that his arm was protectively around her waist… or that their bodies were only inches apart. She blushed a light pink, "Sasuke…" she whispered to him. He groaned and held on tighter, "Nnnn… no…" he mumbled. Sakura gave a smile, "Sasuke… it's time to get up… you can stay here if you want." She said.

He groaned again and nuzzled into her neck, "But I don't want you to go…" he mumbled half-asleep. Sakura sighed, "Sasuke… if you don't want to starve you would let me go…" she said playfully but firmly. "I don't care…" he said. "Sasuke… you're half asleep…" she muttered to herself. Suddenly Sasuke moved his head down and she blushed five different shades of red. "S-Sasuke!" she whimpered. Her left arm was pinned down by his arm and her right was stuck between his body and hers.

He was holding onto her tightly at that and… his head was on her chest. "S-Sasuke… please… wake up…" she said trying to squirm out of his grip. He nuzzled into her chest and she turned red. "Wake up!" she yelled and finally, his eyes opened and he faced downwards to be rewarded in seeing half her cleavage. His eyes widened and he jumped off her, "I-I'm sorry… I-I must've… fallen asleep." He stuttered. He looked at her; she was still in her towel since he couldn't change her.

"I'll let you change…" he said before heading towards the door. His hand touched the knob and he stopped, he turned around, "You must be tired… I'll make lunch. Just get changed and stay in bed." He said exiting the room. It was 1:00 p.m already and she woke up at 5:00 a.m. It was true that she felt tired though. Even on her day off from work Sakura always spent it doing something productive like training or shopping… but when Sasuke knows you're sick… you've gotta stay in bed.

"Achoo," she sneezed and rubbed her nose, "I gotta change." She said getting up from bed and went to look in her closet. She got changed into a red shirt with a sleeveless hoodie; red shorts and sandals since it looked like she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She sat on her bed and looked around if anyone's coming; sensing no one and Sasuke busy downstairs she decided that it was a good time to update her secret album/journal.

She took out a hair clip from her purse; it was a black cherry blossom; she used the pin as a key. She then unlocked her bottom drawer of the bedside table and opened it. She took the medium-sized box out of its hiding place and opened the secret drawer found on the jewel studded jewelry box. She took out a pink book with her picture when she was five years old next to her parents. She's had it since she was able to write.

The little pink book served as an album diary; you put a picture in the place where it was supposed to go and there was half a page to write about the picture. She smiled when she opened it; the first page showed her baby picture in her mother's arms in the hospital; there was just a copy of the birth certificate on the bottom.

Then after that it showed her in school with Ino and the hill full of flowers when they were six; there were a lot of them each for everyday in the Academy so that took up most of the space in the tiny book which only had 100 pages. Then it skipped a time period of six years until there was another picture of Team 7. After that there was nothing.

She took out a folder in which there were other photos; and since she was the neat person; it was divided into many groups. She sighed, "Since I ran out of pages in my little journal I haven't been posting any pictures… why did I include the description on the backs of the photos? It's just a waste." She said putting the book away. She looked through her jewelry box. It had the Guardian Maiden crystal; her mother's jewelry; her own jewelry, most she got on her birthday… "Birthday?" she repeated; stood up and checked the calendar.

"It's almost my birthday…" she said looking at the calendar closely; it was early March and her birthday was the 28th. Just then the door opened and Sasuke came in with some spaghetti. "Oh, the great Sasuke can cook." She said while smirking. He just grunted and searched for a table, Sakura sighed and moved her hands in a circular movement and a giant sunflower appeared. He raised an eyebrow but didn't question and just put the tray on it. She conjured up two sunflower chairs to match and instead of sitting, Sasuke just looked at it. "What?" she asked. "I'm not sitting in that."

"So… what do you want?" she said taking a slurp of the noodle. "Something… not so… happy." He said, Sakura just shrugged, "Okay…" she said and turned it into a blue rose, "Not happy enough for ya?" she asked. He just grunted, sat down, Sakura looked at him, "Aren't you gonna eat?" she asked. He looked away, "I'm not hungry." He said like a five year old. Sakura just sighed, "You're gonna faint if you don't eat anything." She said finishing half of it and pushing the plate towards him.

He just stubbornly pushed it back, and Sakura once again pushed it back again. They kept doing that until Sasuke's stomach growled. He looked away from embarrassment, and she couldn't help it when she laughed. She put her hand over her mouth and one at her sides. She laughed so much that she fell from her chair. She landed onto the floor giggling, "Huh… I've never laughed so much…" she mumbled quietly, but Sasuke heard it.

She stood up and dusted herself off. His stomach growled again and he blushed, she raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. He sighed quietly and ate the rest, she smirked contentedly. After lunch she jumped onto her bed and sighed, "The others are not going to be back until this evening…" she mumbled quietly. He nodded, "Where did they go?"

"Oh, like I said… this is my dream home… it has many worlds… probably Conan took them into 'The Thing.'" He raised an eyebrow and approached her until his face was a foot away from hers and he was on top of her, "What is 'The Thing'?" she smirked, "'The Thing is a place… I made it to scare off anyone who wanders here without permission." She whispered. "That still doesn't answer my question," he said getting closer. "'The Thing' is a dead animal's stomach. It sucks you up and it gives you a pleasant tour of its insides then spits you out." She said. He smirked, "Like that would ever scare me…" he said proudly.

She smirked, "I know something that will…" she said slyly. "And That is?" he asked. She leaned up suddenly and kissed his nose. Then she rolled off her bed to see him wide-eyed still staring where she was. He regained control then stood up straight, "Did that scare ya? I think it did…" she said looking away. "Did not," he said quickly.

"Did too,"

"Did not,"

"Did too,"

"Did not,"

"Prove it," she said running out the door. He took it as a challenge and followed her. She jumped from the second stage and ran out the double doors with him following close behind. She passed through a rock and he followed. When he got inside it was… paradise; green grass everywhere, birds chirping a small waterfall up north, lots of flowers, deer, rabbits. Then near the waterfall was a cute arch made of flowers that served as a roof for the bench that was under it; to make it simple it was a romantic place. He stopped daydreaming and searched for her; he saw a blur of pink flash by to the left and followed it. They went through another rock to find themselves suddenly in darkness.

He looked up at the sky, it was night, the sky was a deep blue and shiny stars were present with every minute a shooting star would go by. He was at peace here… almost… at home. The grass was soft under his bare feet; he forgot to put his shoes back on after his little nap. There was the sound of crickets and cicadas. It looked just like the paradise before except it was night and that there was no waterfall or animals.

He went over to the arch where the bench was and was surprised to see Sakura there looking up at the sky. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked absent-mindedly. He kept looking at her; "Yeah…" he answered taking a seat next to her. She was leaning on the small garden table, "Tea?" she asked. He looked around on the table but found no tea. "There- but he couldn't finish as a light appeared and there on the table were cookies, tea cakes and of course tea.

"Do you have any coffee?" he asked looking at the table carefully and as he predicted coffee showed up next to the cakes. He gladly poured himself some and drank. "Did you make this?" he asked her. She shook her head, "My father did… he was a sort of night person… don't get me wrong, he did like the day but he felt calm and at peace at night." She said taking a bite out of a cookie. He looked at her moonlit face. _'Even at peace she looks sad,'_ he thought. Then the sky shone and fireworks began to appear in the sky.

It was loud… but magnificent. "Laugh," he said suddenly. "What?" she asked him, not believing what she heard. "I said laugh…" he repeated. "What- but she couldn't finish her sentence once Sasuke began tickling her. She held her laughter in and ran away from his hands. He followed her and she accidentally tripped on a rock and he was right behind her so they tumbled and rolled down the hill. Needless to say that she laughed… and so did he.

They landed at the bottom filled with laughter; but then she suddenly stopped and turned to him, "I don't think I've ever heard you laugh since the moment I met you." She said knowingly and trying to remember. He took a deep breath, "Yeah…" he agreed. He lied down with his hands under his head looking up at the sky. "It's been many years since I ever laughed." He said breathing in the fresh air.

"Hey Sasuke…" she called out but no answer came back. "Sasuke?" she asked again and crawled over to him, "He can't be asleep…" she thought. "Boo!" he called out and she fell backwards, "Why you little rat!" she shouted. He chuckled, "They always fall for that one…" he said. She smiled, "Ha, ha, ha… I'll teach you!" she yelled. "Oh is that a threat? Oh, save me!" he mocked. "Yeah…" she smirked, closed her eyes for a minute until she opened them again. "I just had a vision…" she said. "Really now?" he teased.

"Yeah… it involves you, of course… and lots and lots of…" but she didn't finish her sentence. "Of?" he asked. "Water," she whispered and under him the ground shook and opened up a water hole! "What the?!" he screamed as he got pulled into the water by something. He looked down, _'A shark?!'_ he screamed in his mind and tried to get up to surface again only to be pulled back by the shark.

He came up to the surface to see her smirking, "Here eat this." She said throwing him a pill. "What is it?" he asked, "Something to keep it away from you," she said meaning the shark. He eyed it but then ate it right away once his leg was being pulled out again. He hung on to the shore and his eyes widened when she started undressing herself!

She took all her clothes off except for her underwear and bra and jumped in taking him with her. He closed his eyes for a moment then reopened them when he found out that he could breathe. He looked around and his eyes stayed on the water goddess next to him. She was in her mermaid form smiling at him. She took his hand and they got sucked into a water current. He didn't know if he was supposed to be surprised or having fun.

They got shot through an amazing speed then spit out at the end to find them under the sea. He gaped; colorful fish, corals were everywhere. "Wow," he whispered. "You like? This one was made by my mother so she could teach me to swim." She said. They swam around playing around with some of the fish. She touched them gently and they came to her. He on the other hand the fish just looked at him and followed him "What?" he burst out. They swam back and Sakura came to him, "you have to be gentler." She said clapping her hands and they reluctantly came to her and danced around her.

She came over to a rock, "Here's your shark," she said and out from behind the rock was a dolphin. "People usually mistake dolphins for sharks due to their fins… this is Skipper." She said presenting him; Skipper clapped its hands and swam around Sasuke and making that clicking noise dolphins make.

"Come on, I want to show you something else!" she said taking his hand and leading him through the school of fish. They came to a big clam; in it was a beautiful pearl. "I've been trying to get that pearl since I found this thing but whenever I try to grab it, it just closes its mouth," she said to him trying to get it; it was deep so she had to take it fast. Her hands were too short to reach it so stubbornly she put her head in it to try to get the pearl; Sasuke seeing the danger because the top shell was slowly moving down.

He pushed her out of the way just in time as the clam came to a close. They blushed once they saw their position but Sasuke didn't let go. He was holding her with both his arms protectively around her holding her tightly while her arms were in between his body and hers. Lately they've been in these kind of positions and situation… they both thought. He let go of her and watched as a group of sea turtles came by to say hi and Sakura went over to them.

He looked back to the clam and took off his shirt. He quietly came over to it and while its mouth was still open he reached in and grabbed the pearl, he grabbed it… but it wouldn't budge; it was stuck on like glue! He tried harder but stopped when he felt the mouth closing in on him. He looked at the stubborn clam and looking around to make sure he wasn't seen… he stuck out his tongue.

Sakura waved goodbye to the turtles and turned to Sasuke and tilted her head cutely, "What happened to your shirt?" she asked. "It was too heavy underwater." She nodded her head in understanding. They swam towards warmer waters, "I was wondering… when do you turn into a mermaid?" he asked. "Oh, usually when I touch water… except when I wear this." She said turning back to him and showing him a necklace. "It obeys to my command whether I want to change or not change. If I don't wear it I turn into this form no matter where I am." She explained.

They got out of the water to find themselves on a beach. "Wanna get a suntan?" she asked making appear two long chairs. Sakura put on a bikini consisting of blue shells and a blue bottom that's covered by a thin glittery cloth. She then gave Sasuke some swim trunks that matched hers, she called it 'A Perfect Match' and he blushed a little.

They were relaxing for a few hours until she said lazily, "We should go back now," she said getting up. He opened an eye, "Hn…" he said getting up. They stretched and put their clothes back on, "The new house is finished… all we need to do is to buy new furniture." She said while they went through 'Paradise' she looked over to him, "And new clothes…" she said looking at the now well-tanned and toned abs of shirtless Sasuke. (BD)

He chuckled and answered, "Hn," she snorted, "Back to one syllable words I see," she said opening the door. She went up to her room; she looked at her clock, "I didn't realize we went away for so long… it's already 6:00." She noted.

"**Yeah! We had so much fun with Sasuke-kun!" **her inner yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, we've had our fun for once… this is the first vacation in four years that throughout the day I didn't use any chakra." She mused.

"**I feel great!" **her inner shouted, **"And I bet Sasuke's abs feel great too!" **she snickered.

Sakura's mouth dropped, "Shut up!" she yelled out loud.

"I didn't even talk," Sasuke said from the doorway, "You shouldn't leave your door open if you're gonna change," he said his eyes moving up and down her form. She looked down and realized that she hasn't put any clothes on yet and blushed 10 shades of red since she was only in a thin, very thin towel, "Pervert!" she yelled and threw her comb at him which he easily dodged by tilting his head to one side. "Temper, temper," he said while shaking his head and closed the door.

She sunk down to the floor burning with rage and embarrassment. **"Hentai! Hentai! Hentai!"** her inner screamed while running around in circles in chibi form. She clutched her head, "This couldn't get any worse…" she said then suddenly a huge crater dropped on her head! Just kidding…

She changed into a pair of sea green jogging pants and a loose t-shirt. She went downstairs to find Sasuke reading the same scroll again. "What would you like for dinner?" she asked him while reading over his shoulder. "Tomatoes…" he simply answered, "Kay," she said going into the kitchen. "Let's see… tomato soup already made it… There's not much you can do with tomatoes." She said looking through some recipes.

"Aha!" she exclaimed finding a perfect recipe. "An obento!" She gathered her own ingredients. "It's been a long time since I made some." she said to herself and started cooking. She smiled to herself after she finished them. She took it to Sasuke who as usual was still reading. "Here," she said putting it in his lap with a pair of chopsticks.

He opened it to find chicken with tomato sauce on top, some wieners (those red octopus like things with only four legs?), octopus, fried eggs, a compartment of rice mixed with vegetables, and to finish it off some of the spaghetti from lunch with a lot of tomato sauce. "Hn…" he said, put down the scroll and began eating. She too ate hers which was the same except instead of octopus she had seasoned potatoes.

They ate peacefully on the couch when the door flew open. All the quiet that they had a minute ago was broken. Karin came in wailing after Itachi while Jugo and Suigetsu were sweat-dropping. Sasori and Deidara were just walking behind them with no care in the world. Shikamaru and Neji appeared after them looking defeated with Conan smiling at them.

Conan then turned her attention to the two people who were sitting peacefully on the couch eating. "How did you two spend your day?" she asked almost menacingly. Everyone became quiet to listen, Sasori, Neji, Deidara and Itachi were all glaring at the couch. "Nothing much," they both said and kept on eating. Conan raised an eyebrow, "Really? Then why did I find this?" she said, pulling out a wet object. They looked over to her and they both chocked and coughed.

It was Sasuke's shirt that he threw in the sea. Like Sakura said, the 'Hana' was a maze meaning it goes around in a circle and what goes around comes around so that means the shirt must've been carried away until it was found where they went to. "What is your shirt doing there?" she asked him through gritted teeth. "Hn," he just simply said sweat-dropping a little and swallowing the rest of his food.

"Hn?" Itachi asked controlling his anger. "Hn," Sasuke retorted back. "Hn," Itachi said turning his hand into a fist. "Hn," Sasuke said smugly while smirking. "Hn?" Itachi asked, "Hn," Sasuke said while shrugging. "Hn!" Itachi firmly said. "Hn," it was Sakura who got into the fight. "Hn," Sasuke said shortly in 'Hn' language and went into the kitchen. "What did they say?" Suigetsu asked. Sakura thought for a minute.

Translation: (Sak Sakura; Sas Sasuke; Ita Itachi)

Ita: What did you do?

Sas: Nothing,

Ita: You better not have done something that you will regret.

Sas: Oh, I don't think I'll ever regret this… _charming_… day.

Ita: I will ask you one more time, what did you two do?

Sas: None of your business.

Ita: Tell me!

Sak: You two calm down!

Sas: Fine.

Sakura sighed, "There's some food in the kitchen marked with your names on them. Tomorrow we'll be moving." She said jumping to her room. "Hn," Itachi said, Sakura flinched, "Hn?" she asked sweetly. "Hn, hn…" he said to her. "Hn!" she yelled, "Hn…" he said and winked at her. Her mouth dropped, "Hn!!" she yelled and slammed the door.

Translation:

Ita: Okay, but try not to faint again.

Sak: What do you mean?

Ita: Oh, nothing I've just heard that you've been fainting a lot recently.

Sak: Who told you that?!

Ita: Jugo… but if you need to faint… my arms are open to stop your fall anytime.

Sak: HENTAI!

Sakura inhaled then exhaled, "Tomorrow we'll need to buy new furniture…" she noted to herself. Then as she was looking through her money a pain shot through her body, she started to breathe faster and her heart hurt her. She ran to her bedside table; on it was a button of some sort, she quickly pressed it. Downstairs Shikamaru and Neji felt a tiny shock entering them, "Sakura!" they both yelled and ran up her room. Everyone else was just confused but came along to see what was wrong.

Neji busted the door open to find Sakura coughing out blood and clutching her chest. He ran next to her, "Which ones?" he asked urgently. She put up two fingers then three, "Number 23…" then a four and one, "41… anything else?" she put up five fingers then three, "And 53, Shikamaru, get numbers 23, 41 and 53!" he yelled. Shikamaru went back downstairs and opened a room with a white door saying, 'Medications'

He got what he needed and rushed upstairs with some machines in one hand and the pills and a syringe in the other. Everyone got out of his way, he gave the three pills to Sakura who ate them then gave the syringe to Neji. He made it fast and painless and after a few seconds she started to calm down and her eyes started to close. He sighed in relief and gently put her on the bed. Shikamaru plugged in the machine and Neji put a mask over Sakura's mouth and nose. He then turned on the machine to give her some air.

Neji kept looking at her and Shikamaru got the point, "Umm… Sakura needs some rest we should leave her alone." He said shooing everyone out of the room until Neji was left alone, "Take care of her," Shikamaru said before closing the door. When they got downstairs the four admirers were crossing their arms and glaring at Shikamaru for answers. He sweat-dropped then sighed but when he opened his mouth the door opened to reveal Tsunade.

"Is she alright?" she asked franticly, "Yeah, she's resting now." Shikamaru answered. "What's going on, what's wrong with her?" Conan asked. Tsunade took a deep breath and calmed down; she then took a seat on the couch.

"Well you see…" she started, "Three years ago, that's a year after you left; that was before she became an ANBU… she had a slight accident with… Orochimaru… he almost paralyzed her; of course back then Orochimaru didn't know Sakura's full potential," she explained, everyone was listening intensely, "And well, I did all I could and thankfully she didn't get paralyzed… but in the battle some of her vital organs were touched; her heart and liver."

"Since the liver is part of the immune system she caught a lot of the diseases going around and that made her weak, but she kept on training no matter how much we told her to stop. Then a year later Orochimaru heard of the kunoichi that might be able to surpass me one day… so he gave her the curse mark. Everyone following along?" she asked looking around the room, but there was no answer, "Good."

"So… because of her already failing immune system and the curse mark her other organs took a hit too now including her lungs after an accident. Fortunately or unfortunately… Orochimaru made up an elixir that could lessen the damage done already because he wanted her to live. It was of course that she had to give in to him, Sakura said yes and joined him for three months until she was captured by the Akatsuki for one and returned back to Konoha with the elixir." She took a deep breath.

"It helped a lot but not enough… then came the day a year later when four of Orochimaru's minions were sent to finish Sakura's transformation. They of course got to her and locked her up in that barrel thing that they locked up Sasuke a long time ago. That didn't help her sickness either but we were too late once we got to her, the transformation was already finished and she was bedridden for a month."

"Since then I got the ingredients of the elixir and made her some quantities to keep her stable once a month. The reason for that is that the elixir is very dangerous if taken continuously so a time span of 30 days would be in between. So during those 30 days she can't have the elixir… so that's why she had created herself from the original one, five different pills each containing one or two ingredients meaning it was less dangerous for her." she explained. "So what's with the shot and the weird machine?" Suigetsu asked.

"Well, since you are going to be living with her I might as well tell you… the shot is not at all dangerous it just makes her sleep for an hour or so to calm her down and let her body slow for a while so the medication will take affect. As I said before her lungs were touched and she usually coughs blood, the machine helps her breathe in a way… it has a small amount of a chemical that slowly cleans the lungs from the blood." She explained.

"How did you know she was like this?" Jugo asked. "This little thing…" she said taking a little round chip from her back, "This is connected to a little button found in her room and on her ANBU clothes, it just takes one push of the button to send a little shock to your body to show you that something's wrong with her. Her teammates, Neji and Shikamaru have one of course and me." She answered; they nodded.

"Even if she acts tough, she's weak on the inside physically. Her body is still in treatment… but usually something like this wouldn't happen unless she…" she thought and eyed everyone in the room, "Unless she's been… intoxicated with something other than air." Sasuke's eyes widened, he totally forgot! "Does anyone know anything?" she asked. Karin was looking smug as usual thinking that no one found out yet.

Sasuke turned to Karin and glared at her, "Her," he breathed out. "Pardon?" Tsunade asked, "Her, … she put Genkaku in Sakura's room…" he said. Everyone's eyes looked over to her, "Is that true?" she asked. She began to sweat, "I-I-I…" she stuttered. "This morning I found four of them in Sakura's room," he said throwing Tsunade the object. She sniffed it, "This is Genkaku alright… this sucks out energy from any living form that inhales it." She said glaring at Karin.

"A dangerous crime… poisoning an ANBU leader… in addition of you already being a murderer… the punishment for this is well… death." She said ripping the drug to shreds. "I-I-I…" she stuttered, "Would anyone like to speak for her?" Tsunade asked around the room. Everyone was quiet and Karin's mouth dropped to the ground, "What?! Suigetsu, Jugo!" squeaked, she then turned her head, "Sasuke-kun?" she asked, "Itachi, Deidara… Sasori…" she said. "Conan?" she asked.

"I will speak for her…" a voice said in their minds, "Sakura?" They all asked. "Yes… and I said I will speak for her… her probation will go on for three years and she will stay in a cell for a three days… her chakra and abilities will be sealed off for five years. She will have no right to own any sharp objects… even a nail file for five years." Sakura added in. Tsunade gaped, "Why are you saving her?" she asked. "Because… I have given her a second chance to live… isn't it always you who said to give people second chances?"

Tsunade gaped, "Well, yes…" Sakura nodded mentally, "This will be her second chance… don't let it waste away… if you do anything like that to any other people I will no longer speak for you… consider 

this as your last chance, now if you'll excuse me…" she said and her voice disappeared. Tsunade went over to Karin, "Come with me… we need to reset your papers and give you a seal." She said taking Karin by the hair and pulling her out the door.

In Sakura's room…

"Why did you really save her?" Neji asked. "Because…" she stated telepathically, "Better with you than against you… I don't think she deserves a second chance… but then who do I pick on when my rage can't be controlled?" she asked and he chuckled. "True… but I have another reason…" he said; she stayed quiet, "You have a golden heart… you're too nice… even after now." He said to her stroking her silky hair gently.

"Ha… a golden heart you say?" she yawned, "Whatever you say… I just… want to rest for now." She said already falling asleep. "Goodnight…" he said kissing her forehead. He caressed her cheek, "You've got too big a heart… Princess of Konoha…" he whispered. He got up but he felt a small hand stop his movements. He looked down, her hand was on top of his not ready to let go anytime soon.

(A/N: don't think that Sakura is two-timing anyone… she's just lonely. Anyways just to remind you that most of these are SasuSaku and some are NejiSaku if not also most of it; while others are DeiSaku, SasoSaku and ItaSaku)

He smiled, "Okay, I'll stay…" he said retaking his seat next to her. "What am I going to do with you? You almost gave me heart attack this time." He whispered silently pushing her hair back from her shoulder; his fingers grazing the curse mark. He looked at the bed; it was mess, "Let's make this more comfortable shall we?" he asked making a double of himself to fix the covers and readjust the machine so it gave her enough air. He looked down upon her his face right above hers; his hair cascaded down over his shoulder and landed gracefully on her cheek. "Then again… what am I going to do without you?"

Downstairs all was very quiet after Tsunade left with Karin. "Wait… how did you know that the Gen whatever they're called were in Sakura's room?" Deidara asked; for once asking something smart. All glares now turned to Sasuke, "What really happened when we were gone?" Itachi asked. "What did you two do so that your shirt was in the sea?" Sasori added. "Yeah!" Conan added in receiving weird stares from everyone, she sweat-dropped, "Sorry…"

"We went to the beach… that's all. And for the Genkaku… she fainted in the morning and I came up to give her, her breakfast since she didn't come down." He answered leaving out the part about her only wearing a towel in the morning; laughing at him; playing tag in 'Paradise'; drinking tea/coffee together; and go swimming together as a 'Perfect Match'. "Oh so that's why your shirt was in the sea…" Conan understood.

Sakura was finally asleep and Neji went downstairs, "Conan… could you sleep in Sakura's room for the night?" he asked her; she nodded, "Sure… I'll take good care of her!" she said smiling lightly at him. A while later Neji and Shikamaru went home; the others ate and then slept, Conan taking her bed into Sakura's… she didn't want to sleep on a futon because 'I has an extremely fragile form' quoted as she described herself.

The crisp night air that came through the window of her room cooled her burning body. She never told it to anyone but every time she has an attack, her body burns like she's been thrown into a lava pit. She 

doesn't know what it is and of course being the medic she is doesn't accept help offers since she is now the number one medic-nin in all the regions; she's been called for from many different villages to treat plagues and diseases.

The next morning everyone was quiet since Sakura was called urgently to the hospital for one reason or another; and without Karin to ruin the mood… we could say it was… calming. But when one loud-mouth goes another one appears and it's our favorite ramen lover, Naruto!

"What's up!" he yelled through the house, "Shut up Dobe." Naruto glared, "Same to you too Teme!" he shot back. Naruto looked around the room sarcastically; meaning going up on a chair and looking around, "Where's Sakura-chan?" he asked. "She had to leave for a patient." Conan answered eating the rest of her rice. "Why does she have to go!" Deidara wailed. Naruto hit him on the head (Oo) "What do you mean! Sakura-chan is very dedicated!" he yelled and everyone was quiet.

"Hmm? You mean you guys don't know why?" he asked then when no answer came he dropped to the floor laughing his butt off, holding his sides and rolling on the floor. "And you guys are supposed to be her housemates! Even I know this even though I was away all this time." He said. "Just tell us." Itachi growled. "Okay, okay don't need to get your ramen in a knot!" he yelled sarcastically.

"So after she became medic-nin she was very successful; she never let a patient down… that is until…" he turned off the lights and pulled the draped over the windows and flashed a light on himself. And for that act, he got a hit on the head by Sasuke. "Itai! What was that for Teme!" he shouted. "For your stupidity." He retorted. "Hmph! Anyways… but that fateful day… I don't remember when but… on that fateful day… she lost her first patient."

"And?" everyone asked. Naruto dropped to the floor, "What do you mean and? She lost a patient! She lost a life!" everyone was quiet, "That's all?" they all asked. "She was her best friend!" he yelled and everyone got quiet. "What was her name?" Suigetsu asked. "Umm… I don't remember… it was…" then the door suddenly opened. "Oh, I-I'm s-sorry did I interrupt s-something?" she asked. Everyone shook their heads. "N-Naruto… you f-forgot your wallet…" she stuttered, "Ah! Thanks Hinata-chan! Oh yeah can you tell them Sakura's best friend's story?" he asked her; she looked around the room to see eager faces.

"Okay…" she said taking a seat next to Conan at the head of the table. "Her name was Misa Higurashi. She was 26 years old and just became a successful ANBU… and also… Kakashi Hatake's girlfriend… she didn't care about the age difference though." Sasuke and Naruto's mouths dropped, "He had a girlfriend?!" they asked out loud. She nodded her head, "Misa one day got hurt on one of her missions and was sent directly to Sakura for treatment. Sakura back then just finished all her studies and just became the head medic-nin." She looked around the room.

"Misa was a special case they said. They won't let anyone except Sakura look at her documents but what I do know was that she had a weak heart since she was a baby but Tsunade's miracle healing treated that problem to its fullest. In that battle though; the treatment gave away and she was in Sakura's care for a while and that's how they became really close and best friends… then one day there was tight shortage of ANBU and the only one left was Misa. She of course… I'm sorry to say this but… stubbornly accepted the offer not heeding Sakura's warnings." She took a breath.

"And so when Misa came back almost dead Sakura did all she could to help her…"

At the Hospital…

Sakura finished bandaging the patient's wounds and waved goodbye. She sighed… "I will never go through that again." She whispered to herself and closed her eyes…

_When she came to me she was half dead and I did all I could to save her… but then…_

"_Please Sakura…" she choked out. "I know what my fate is… and that is to die here…" she said. I cried out, "No I won't let you!" I said on the brink of tears. Misa smiled knowingly, "Its okay…" she whispered putting her paling hand on top on my own. "I've lived… that's all… that matters… but I regret one thing…" she whispered. Sakura's tear dropped onto her hand, "What do you regret?" I asked her. "I regret… not helping you more… you always helped me… and for that I am thankful…" she whispered._

"_But for you… I will do anything… so as my last wish… I would like you to… kill me." She said. My eyes widened, "What?! I can't do that!" I screamed. "Kakashi has told me about you… and your quest for power to save someone you love… I admire you… you are my hero… so please… as a last act… let me be your sacrifice for that power… I know that my life is counting on seconds… so please… do this for me… I would like to help you… as __**my **__last act." She said while crying._

_Her white hand reached for a surgery knife next to her and handed it to Sakura, "Do it… please…" she said on the verge of dying, "I will never forget you… Misa… I promise you… that I will… that I will… complete my quest… I love you…" I said. "I love you, too… Saku-chan…" she said; I turned on my Sharingan and I stabbed her in the open wound. No matter how painful it was though… I never cried… she was the reason that I became more powerful that I am now… so I didn't let another tear fall._

_Her sacrifice helped me in more ways than one. I decided that my duty from that day on was not only in Konoha… but helping the battlers in need in combat. That's why I trained and trained to be finally accepted as an ANBU. I filled in her place as ANBU… that's what she would've wanted me to do. She was a patient… she was my best friend… and she was the first patient I ever lost… and the last patient I will ever lose, too… that was my promise to myself… that Misa would be the only patient that I'll ever lose._

"And by killing Misa at her hour of end she attained the Mangekyou Sharingan." Hinata finished and sighed. "That's one of the reasons that she became ANBU." She said. Naruto was crying anime tears; Sasori was playing sadly with his puppets; Deidara was also crying anime tears; Suigetsu and Jugo of course and once again blamed the dust; Itachi was looking at his plate now finding it very interesting; Sasuke was either angry because Sakura already attained Mangekyou or sad for his crush…

(Sasuke: Crush?! Who said anything about that?!

Me: oh… sorry… let me change that then…

Sasuke: Okay…

Me: My bad I meant **lover**!

Sasuke: What?!

Me: Admit it…

Sasuke: No!

Me: Fine then… in the next scene I'll have you guys locked up in a closet!

Sasuke: …

Me: Okay… better idea… why don't I lock up _Itachi_ and Sakura in a closet.

Sasuke: Uses Sharingan

Me: sticks out tongue Na na na neener! Somebody's jealous!

Sasuke: Shut up! Go back to the fic!

Me: Okay fine! But then Itachi and Sakura will make out!

Sasuke: NO! Fine, Sakura's my…

Me: crush? Lover? Soul-mate? Amour?

Sasuke: Stop! She's my… friend.

Me: I hate you… O)

Okay… Sasuke was either blah blah blah, sad for his _friend_. "How sad," Deidara wailed with Naruto, each crying on the other's shoulder. The others sweat-dropped, "Ano… I think I-I'm g-going to g-go n-now." Hinata said leaving the mansion. When she was gone Naruto and Deidara stopped crying, "That's why Sakura-chan would never let a patient down." Naruto said emotionally. A few minutes of silence were present until, "What did you come here for dobe?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto scratched his head, "Hmm… it was… I was… Sakura-chan… uh…" he thought… 10 minutes later… "Ano… I think it was… no…" 15 minutes later… "Aha! No that can't be it…" he scratched his head again... 30 minutes later "Aha! I got it! Right… I just wanted to say hi!" he finally answered. Conan, Sasori, Suigetsu, Jugo fell over anime style, Itachi sweat-drpped with the side of his mouth twitching at the idiocy and Sasuke hit him on the head. "Took ya long enough!" he scoffed, Deidara thought for a minute, "I don't get it… why would you say high? What's high? Who's high? Who am I talking to?"

Everyone groaned, and then the door opened to reveal Sakura storming into the house with Shikamaru and Neji trying to get her attention. "I said I would go," she stated firmly looking back to the boys. "You can't go now, you've wasted too much chakra already… and going to Suna isn't going to help it." Neji reasoned. "Well, he said I should come and visit… that's all." Sakura said her nerves trying to keep calm. "What for exactly?" he asked. "Did you or did you not forget that we are friends?" Sakura asked.

"Who could forget that… and who could forget also that at one time he almost killed you!" Neji shot back. "That's your problem Neji… you're too overprotective. What do you think I'm going to do with him?" Sakura asked angered. "It isn't a question of what you're going to do… it's a question of what **he** is going to do." Neji asked. "There you go again… being overprotective of me isn't gong to help matters… and I should have you know Gaara and I have been friends ever since that accident... and why would he hurt me in any way? He's Kazekage now!"

Neji glared and Shikamaru sighed, "How troublesome… Sakura… you go to Suna." He said; Neji glared at him, "If you promise to be back in two days… no more." He stated lazily. Sakura scowled, "Fine, just tell him that." She said storming up to her room and slamming the door. After she did that, "you should go apologize." Shikamaru said. "What? What for?" he asked angrily. "You hurt her feelings… you know as well as I that Gaara would never hurt anyone right now… especially her, not again I mean."

"That's exactly it, hurting her again," Shikamaru sighed in frustration, "You are too overprotective… just apologize… Gaara's her friend now… you could at least owe him the benefit of the doubt." Shikamaru said taking a seat on the couch. Neji growled, "Fine, I'll go apologize," he sighed in defeat. He walked to her door and knocked then entered. They didn't hear anything for a while until a scream of frustration and a _clap_ sort of noise.

Neji came back down with a scowl on his face. "How did it go?" Shikamaru asked while everyone else just coughed trying to bite back a snicker or two. "Pretty well I suppose… she slaps like hell… and I have the proof on my cheek." He said rubbing his reddening cheek. Shikamaru sighed, "You were supposed to 

apologize… not complain about the guy." He said. "Hmph, who said I was complaining," he asked looking away. "Proof one, she yelled, proof two, she slapped you, proof three you're looking away when you're talking, and proof four, you're jealous." He said simply getting comfortable. "Tch, jealous? Who said I was jealous?" he asked and walked out the door. Shikamaru once again sighed, "In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…" then the door opened and Neji came back in, and he rushed up the stairs and into Sakura's room. Then nothing could be heard and no one made a noise waiting for what was to happen.

Then they could hear a yell then another yell then a _poof_, Neji came back down with flower petals stuck in his hair which was sticking up on ends, "Didn't I say to apologize… not complain to her not to go?" the lazy bum asked yawning. "Hmph," he scoffed and walked out the door. "This is troublesome, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…" then again Neji came back in and stormed into her room. This time no sound could be heard, then Neji came back down smirking contentedly. "I don't like that smirk." Shikamaru said looking at Neji. "Congratulations… you just won a trip to Suna." he exclaimed. Shikamaru sighed… again, "How troublesome."


	8. Fairy Tales

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Anyways, here's the next chapter! Review please!

Anyways I'd like to thank my reviewers:

**Alpha Sigma, Kayamie1224, kunoichixakura, Vampire Bassist, Jackie-chan1230, jesselovemeto and Laliz.**

Chapter 8: Fairy Tales…

Sakura screamed quietly in frustration, "What is the matter with him?" she asked herself. She took out her secret album and looked through the pictures; she stopped at one that had her and Neji when they were 13. They were sitting under a Sakura tree eating an obento together and smiling. "What happened to the Neji-kun that I knew?" she asked herself quietly. She put the book away and got ready for the voyage.

She came back down to Shikamaru waiting for her near the door and Neji scowling at him. "Let's go Shika-kun." She said lazily. They went out the door and first went to Hokage tower to get the permission to go. After they did they started moving to their destination. They could've gotten there sooner but Shikamaru just had to rest because 'There's no hurry' he said at each rest stop… mostly because he wanted to taste Sakura's home baked cookies.

"Shikamaru… this is going to be our last stop." He nodded, she took out her cookie box and he reached for it. She slapped his hand away, "You already had a lot… these are for the Sabaku Siblings." She told him. He sighed, "But- "No, buts… anyways… I'm sure Temari could make you some of her cookies, if you like." She said smugly; perfectly knowing that Shikamaru had a crush on her even though he always says he hates girls.

He blushed; "Who said I wanted her cooking?" he asked looking away. "Come on Shika-kun… I've known you for a long time now. Just confess… I'm getting tired of seeing her so depressed every time she comes to Konoha to try to talk to you and waiting until you spill it." She said then shut her mouth suddenly, "Me and my big mouth." She mumbled to herself. Shikamaru's eyes lightened up for a second. "We're not gonna get there if we stay here." He said while getting up and starting to walk.

Sakura followed him, _'Well… that sure worked.'_

"**Yeah… he actually believed you."**

"yeah… but part of it is true… every time she comes to visit Konoha… when she leaves she's always sad… like she was waiting for something… but that something never happened, every single time."

"**Love can hurt…"**

"Tell me about it… it just makes me want to rip out his lungs for not confessing his feelings."

"**Hehe… but that's Shika-kun for ya… oh I know!"**

"I don't like your ideas…"

"**Hmph… anyways, why don't we make a plan to get them together?"**

"There are a couple of problems with that… one… we only have two days to do that… two… Shikamaru's too dense… and three… I don't meddle into other people's love lives."

"**You're no fun… but you are right about number two… and how can he be so dense? Mr. IQ of 200."**

"Let's just leave it alone for now…"

"**You're right… maybe one of these days he'll finally make up his mind… or she'll make up hers."**

"Yeah…"

"We're here." He said suddenly… and she just realized that they already made it into the town. "Hi guys!" a voice said approaching them. Temari came up and hugged Sakura who returned the hug. She looked at Shikamaru and Shikamaru looked at her. Sakura stared at the moment here and decided that this would be the moment to go; so she slipped out of the group to the Kazekage tower. When she got there she was greeted by Baki.

"Good evening Haruno-sama… Gaara-sama is still in a meeting right now." He greeted. "I see… then I'll wait for him." She said. Baki stood up and offered his chair to her, "Thank you." She said gladly taking a seat. "No problem Haruno-sama." Sakura blinked, "Please, just call me Sakura." She said. "Okay, Sakura-san." He answered. Sakura sighed inwardly, after she saved Kankuro's life Baki's been formal with her ever since.

She closed her eyes and trained. It's a technique that she made up herself, it lets the mind take you to a place where you want to go and you can do anything there… but it's only a technique that people with strong 'inners' can master; but you can use it with other people. Just by touching hands, the other person would be sucked into that world too and you can train together; up to three people can make contact that way, the person who knows the technique of course, and two other people because a person only has two hands.

She then felt herself moving slowly from her place but thought it was just her imagination… wait… she was in her imagination. She opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn't in the Kazekage tower anymore… she was outside sitting on a bench. "Huh?" escaped from her lips, "Surprised?" came a deep, dark but yet calm voice. "Hey… how many times have I told you not to do that?" the corner of her mouth twitched. "A dozen times…" he answered.

"Exactly… and do I ever joke?" she asked again, he stayed silent. When no answer came back she looked to her side and Gaara was right there next to her, gasped then fell off the bench, only to be caught by sand. "Why you… how many times have I told you not to that?" she asked shooing away the sand. He chuckled, "A million times." He answered her. "Why I aught to." Then she charged at him, "You could get into serious trouble if you hurt me you know." He said mockingly.

She stopped trying to hit him, "Ha, ha, ha…" she said crossing her arms. With Gaara she felt like she was energized or some reason… like she could just, have fun. "Wanna go for a ride?" he asked and suddenly she could feel sand below her feet. "No, no, please… you know how hate hheeeeightss!" she squeaked as they went up to the sky at a fast speed. He chuckled again, "You're such a child," he commented. "And you're such a… a…" Gaara smirked, "The little princess doesn't know what to say… what, cat got your tongue?"

"Yeah… only when I'm with you!" she said hanging onto his leg when the sand sped up its pace. C-Can you slow down please?" she pleaded playfully but still half serious. "Okay…" then they went on a slower pace over the walls and to the desert. She wobbly stood up with her knees bent a little and her arms around his neck, he smiled to himself and put an arm around her waist to steady her. "Now, isn't this fun?" he asked, looking at her. "Depends on what you mean by fun!" she said holding her body closer to his, he blushed at the close proximity. "What did you come here for?" he asked playfully. Sakura glared at him with her bottom lip out, "You're the one who asked for my acquaintance!" she pouted. "True…"

"So what did you want from meeee?" then she screeched when they suddenly went down. "Grandma Chiyo wants to see you for some reason." Sakura thought for a minute and realized, "She wants to know how Sasori is doing probably." She said to herself. He nodded and dropped her off at the deserted place. She thanked him and went in. She saw Chiyo and her husband fishing. "Ohio Chiyo obaa-chan," she greeted while bowing. "Oh, hello… nice to see you again… hopefully that medication I gave you for that nasty cough helped." She said.

"Hai, arigatou… you wanted to see me?" she asked. "Yes… I want to know how my grandson is doing. That hag Tsunade told me that he's in your care." She opened her eyes and looked at Sakura. "Hai… you heard right. He's doing fine; he's actually helping me in my studies of poison." She informed her. "Don't lie to me now…" Chiyo said, Sakura smirked, "Nothing gets past you obaa-chan… actually he's just living with me with the other Akatsuki, I've been… busy lately."

"Busy? Something's wrong… you're never busy… I mean… other people think you're busy but you think you're busy? I know you… you never use the word busy unless something's wrong." She said narrowing her eyes at the kunoichi. Sakura flinched, "Yeah… it's just that some things are hectic…" Chiyo laughed, "Yes… very hectic… especially with one named Uchiha Sasuke." She said slyly. Sakura sweat-dropped, "Now why would you say that?" she said.

"Ha! I've checked into the waters… you're falling in love with the Uchiha… and by what my sources tell me… you've fallen in love with him… again." Sakura shook her head. "No… we just have our fun… he's nothing more than a friend now." She said. "Good… then you can choose Sasori." Sakura fell over anime-style, "Excuse me?!" she exclaimed. "Since you don't have any feelings for the Uchiha boy… you might as well choose my Sasori… he'd make the perfect husband for you… but more importantly, you'd make a good wife for him."

"I'm not even 18 grandma!" she yelled. "So? I got married to this old geezer when I was 16." She said turning her head to the old man that was sleeping. Sakura sweat-dropped, "Things have changed since your time," she mumbled quietly. Chiyo scoffed, "Well… since it's not Sasori… it might as well be Gaara." She said. Sakura sighed, "No… Gaara's my friend too…" she said. "But I've seen you two, having your fun, and laughing… which you rarely do... then it must be Kankuro then!" Sakura sighed, "NO grandma! I'm not in love with anybody!" Sakura said getting up and walking to the gates.

"Then the Hyuga?"

"NO!"

"Deidara?"

"NO!"

"Don't tell me Suigetsu!"

"What the?! NO!"

"Good… then the other Uchiha?"

"Grandma, NO!"

"Sai then? He's charming,"

"For the final time, NO!"

"How about-

"NO!" then she slammed the gates close.

Sakura walked off into the scorching desert, "What was she thinking?" she mumbled to herself storming off banging her heels into the sand. "Me? In love again?" she screamed, tasking a faster pace. "Come on… everyone knows already that after Sasuke…" she slowed down, "There wasn't anyone else after 

him…" then she stopped completely, "And there never will be." She said to herself. What she didn't realize was that she was getting further away from Suna.

She walked off for at least 30 minutes, "What am I doing?" she said before collapsing onto the sand, _'What am I doing? Is this what I really want? Is this life that I've trained and worked so hard for… worth it? Is life any worth without love? Is love worth something to me? Is it?'_

"Sakura… please wake up… if you don't… I swear to God that I will be killed by six raging men." Someone pleaded. Sakura's eyes fluttered open, Shikamaru sighed, "You're too troublesome." He said relieved. She sat up, she was in a hospital bed, "What the heck happened," she mumbled to herself. "That's what I would like to know… Gaara was going back to find you at Chiyo's place but when he got there, he said you already left. He then found you in the desert a mile away from the village." He answered.

Sakura slumped her shoulders and touched her head, "Why is there bandage on my head?" she asked, "I'm not injured." Shikamaru sighed, "They said that being in the sun too long made you weak and what do you know… they found a gash on your forehead when they checked you… but the weird thing was… Gaara said he didn't see any gash on your forehead when he rescued you." Sakura felt her forehead then winced when she touched the side where the supposed gash appeared.

"The boys are not gonna like this," Sakura mumbled to herself. "Hey, I'm not worried about you… I'm worried about me, I promised them that I would take care of you… but you just had to get yourself an injury when I was supposed to chaperone you!" he practically yelled. "Woah, calm down Shikamaru… I'm fine…" she said. Shikamaru calmed down, he stood up and suddenly put his arms around her, "Don't wander off by yourself… little sis…" he whispered in her ear. Sakura returned the hug, "Okay…" she said.

Sakura pushed him gently away, "Now… I want you to do something for me." She said. He raised an eyebrow, "And that is?" Sakura looked around, "Tell Temari your feelings for her…" she said. Shikamaru blushed, "What?" he asked. "Go tell her your feelings… I know you have them…" she said slyly. "How do you know that? Anyways even if I do… what can I say to her?" Sakura giggled, "You can say the three magic words that make girls happy."

"And that is?" he asked teasing her, she hit him on the shoulder, "Okay, okay… I love you…" he said. She giggled a little, "Aww, Shika-kun, I love you too!" then they heard a crash outside the door, they looked up to see Temari standing in the open doorway and on the floor were broken shards of cups and a teapot. "I-I'm sorry if… I was disturbing something… I… I'm sorry for the mess, I'll go… clean it up…" she said turning away and running. "Temari!" he yelled after her.

Shikamaru looked at Sakura who gave him a look, "What are you waiting for baka?! Go after her!" Sakura shooed him away. A few minutes later, she looked out her window to see Temari running out and Shikamaru close behind her. Shikamaru took the liberty to use his shadow to stop her for a minute so he could catch up but after he let go she started running again but he caught her wrist. Sakura squinted, "What could they be talking about?" she asked herself and kept on spying.

She saw Temari trying to force her hand out of his with no avail. Shikamaru then seemed to scream something and she stopped moving. Her mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, "He said it…" she mumbled to herself. He then pulled her towards him and hugged her. Sakura smiled lightly; then the door opened, she looked up to see Gaara. "Gaara… I'm sorry for all this trouble." He just grunted, "No 

problem… are you okay?" he asked raising an eyebrow at the slightly smiling girl. "Why are you smiling?" he approached the window where she was looking.

"Is that?" Sakura nodded her head, "With?" she nodded again, "Are they doing what I think they're doing?" he asked as if it was impossible. Shikamaru then suddenly kissed her, and Sakura gasped from shock and fell back. Gaara caught her but his eyes were fixated on the couple. "He did it," she whispered, "Finally…" he added quietly. They looked at each other, blushed and turned away.

"Yeah… at least she won't have to be depressed anymore," she said standing up and putting her shoes back on. "How long are you staying?" he asked looking at the couple slowly walking away. "Because of a certain someone… I can only stay here for two days." He raised an eyebrow, "Who?" she looked away, "Oh… just… someone…" she repeated walking towards the door. "Wait," he suddenly said, "What is it?"

"I… I… I think that you should change your bandages before leaving." He said quickly, then he cursed inwardly at himself for not having the courage, _'If a lazy coward can do it… why can't I?'_ he asked himself while watching her trying to put on her bandages with no avail. He smirked, "Well, do you need help, Ms.Head Medic-Nin?" he asked. She stuck out her tongue at him, "I'll take that as a no." he said looking away. After a few more minutes of struggling, "Gaara… can you help me with this?" she finally said.

"What's the magic word?" he said playfully smirking, Sakura rolled her eyes, "Please?" he chuckled a bit before coming over and put on her bandage. They were in front of a mirror that she used to try to put it on. He frowned, _'Her smile is gone… I wonder…' _"Sakura…" he called out, "Hmm?"

"I… I…" then the door opened, Shikamaru went inside, "Hmm? Am I… interrupting something?" he asked looking at the two. They shook their heads, "Why don't wee talk privately outside," she said leading the way. Shikamaru watched them go out the door and when they were an earshot away, "Seems like he hasn't got the courage to do it… anyways… even if he does…" he looked out the window, "She'll never accept anyone's feelings… especially when it's almost this time of the year again." He sighed at the memories of the other 'Big Day' they have once every one or two months.

Sakura and Gaara were in his office, she sat on the desk while he sat on his chair. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked looking around. "I… thank you…" he said, "For what?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "Y-You're the only one who accepted me for who I am," he said looking down. She looked away, "Everyone has flaws… that doesn't mean they're monsters." She said. He inwardly smiled, "You said that the first time we talked…" he said remembering. "Yeah…"

Flashback

_3 years ago…_

_Sakura had a mission with Naruto and Sai to go to Suna to help with some terrorist issues. It was after the ninjas took the student from the academy._

_Sakura was walking down a deserted street when three men came towards her, "Hey sweetie… wanna go hang out with us?" one said. "Yeah… we can have fun together…" the other said. "Come on Babe, we'll give you a real good time. _**"Yeah right, Shannaro!" **_her inner yelled. "I'm sorry but I have to go," she said walking past them. "Come on!" they urged her and got in her way, "I said no, bastards," she said through gritted teeth._

_They persisted on until she all hit them, really hard. They got angry, "Then we'll show you hell!" one of the guys took out a knife while the other, "You'll pay for this girl," he said, she closed her eyes waiting for impact but none came. Instead, she saw sand, but before she could see anything else she was knocked out by the man who was trying to get away and was throwing rocks at whoever saved her. When she woke up again, she found that she was in a bed. "Ah, you're awake," a voice said. She sat up and looked around, "K-Kankuro…" she whispered out. "That's my name," he said keeping his eyes on his puppets while sharpening the daggers._

"_Where am I?" she asked, rubbing her head. "This is my house," someone else answered and Temari came I with a cup of tea, "You okay? Seriously… when Gaara came in here with you in his arms I thought it was the end of the world as we know it." She said handing the cup to her. "Arigatou, Gaara? He's the one who saved me?" she asked. She nodded her head, "Yeah, came here and just dropped you off… oh yeah, he left you a message." Sakura blinked, "He said, your teammates are looking for you, be near the Kazakage tower."_

_Temari scratched her cheek, "Yeah… that was what he said, nee, nii-san." She said turning her look to her brother, "Whatever," he just said not even paying attention. Temari smirked, "I love it when he's like this… watch this…" she whispered to Sakura. "Nee, nii-san… Gaara's been acting weird, nee?" she asked. "Whatever," "Yeah… he's really busy these days…" "Whatever," "Did you know he's in love?" "Whatever," "Okay, I'm turning your room into a spa," and what do you know, "Whatever," then he chocked on air._

"_NANII?!" then the two girls laughed, after a while they caught their breath, "You should go now… Sakura-chan…" Temari winked at her, "Say hello to my brother for me kay?" she said waving her off. "Hai…" she answered half-heartedly. She walked to the Kazekage tower to see Gaara sitting by himself playing with his sand… wait… rewind… playing with his sand…_

_Sakura rubbed her eyes, he was doing tricks with the sand. First they became little balls that went in a circular movement then made a flower. "It's beautiful," she absent-mindedly whispered, and then the sand dropped to the ground and he looked alerted. "Oh, I'm sorry… did I bother you?" he shook his head slowly. "Can I sit down?" she asked, he just moved away slowly, taking that as a yes. She sat down then felt unnaturally comfortable._

"_I-I'm sorry…" he whispered quietly. Sakura blinked, "Huh?" she turned to him, "I'm sorry," he whispered again. "It's okay," she answered, "It wasn't your fault…" she said playing with the rim of her skirt. He opened his mouth to say something else but Sakura beat him to it, "You know… everyone has flaws… whether they're capsules for demons or have a big forehead… but that doesn't mean they're monsters," she sad while smiling at him. He blushed and looked away, "Thank you…" he whispered. She just smiled more, "Gotta go now, nice talking to you… Gaara-kun…" she said and walked away._

End Flashback

"Yes… that was a nice talk by the way," she said. "Yeah… Sakura…" she turned to him, "I… I think… that I've… fallen in love with you." He said quickly and looked at Sakura. Her bangs were covering her eyes so he couldn't tell what she was thinking. "Gaara… I-I'm sorry… but," he looked down, "I know… you're not ready yet… I'm sorry… I knew… but I just wanted you to know." Sakura sighed, "You're the third person that's done this to me these past months you know." Gaara looked up, "Who else?" she giggled, "Neji and Itachi."

"I see… so that means…" she nodded her head, "That means that I'm not ready for a love affair yet… anyways… it's almost _that_ time of the year again… and I just can't. If I would be able to choose… I would be single for the rest of my life." She said sadly then sighed. "You don't really mean that… I know your dreams and fantasies Sakura… and one of them is to have a family… that much I know." He said gently.

"It sounded more simple in Fairy Tales… you know… where a brave prince would sweep me off my feet and take me to his castle so we could live happily ever after." She sighed, "But I've learned the hard way that fairy tales aren't real… they don't come true no matter how much you wish it to happen to you." Gaara chuckled, "Don't all of us?" he said. Sakura lightly smiled at him, "All girls dream of their happily ever afters from fairy tales… but sooner or later… we realize that it's just that… fairy tales… they're not real… they're just an illusion to give you hope for the future. But it's harder when you've believed in them so hard that you've lived in that illusion for so long… that when reality hits you in face… you're shattered." She explained quietly.

"That's why girls are so troublesome," Gaara said smirking. "Now don't you be acting like Shikamaru…" she warned and pointed a guilty finger at him. They both just smiled at each other, "It's getting late… Temari and Shikamaru are probably out and your brother is always stuck with his puppets so I think I'm gonna sleep early… unless… you have some paperwork for me to do," she said slyly. He frowned, "No… Shikamaru told me about your routine of sleeping late and waking up early… not eating right… and because of that fainting, so no. Go to sleep… think of it as a little vacation." He said.

She pouted, "Fine," she left the room and went over to Temari's apartment. She lied down onto the bed and closed her eyes, _'Fairy Tales… Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty or Snow White; all those fairy tales are now worth nothing to me. Love is worth nothing to me anymore… love only brings pain and sadness.' _She put her hands over her eyes, _'Is my life any worth without love? Is love any worth without feelings? Are feelings worth the pain of death?' _she shut her eyes tightly.

'_Once upon a time, I loved a man so much that I was willing to leave everything for him, my family, my friends, my village and my honor by betraying the village. Then when I declared my undying love for him… he shunned me away. He left me crying in the time of night all alone. When I woke up, it was too late. He was gone, he left my life, and he left me. He threw away my love like a piece of trash. And from then on I became strong for him, I became from the little girly girl to the Princess of Konoha.'_

'_I became a real princess… but I lost my prince. But that was just an illusion also… in reality… I never really had a prince to begin with; I was just living in a Fairy Tale where the prince didn't care about me. But now I'm the princess who doesn't search for love anymore. I'm the princess who finally got her feelings under control, the princess who never shows emotions to anyone. The first princess to lock away her heart from the world; I am this way because my prince was just a fantasy.'_

'_My heart fell into a deep slumber… an eternal slumber that in Fairy Tales… will only be awakened by true love's kiss. But like Fairy Tales aren't real… that will never happen… my heart will forever slumber… until once awakened by the heat of love.' _Then she quietly fell asleep, oblivious to the eyes that were watching her every move.

"So that's her? The famous Princess of Konoha. The legendary Etoile of the prophecy… and… my future wife." A sinister voice said. "Yes, my prince… she is indeed a beauty… a real prize." Another voice said. "Prepare to go… I want to be there by the 28th." He said, "As you wish… my Prince."

Sakura was awoken the next morning by a crash. She got up to see what it was but it was just Temari and Kankuro fighting and they had broken a plate in the process. Sakura smiled slightly, _'Sometimes I'd really like to have a real brother,' _she mused staring at the two. "Good morning," she said taking them out of their usual fights, "Oh, good morning Sak-chan, sleep well?" she asked smiling proudly. Sakura smirked, "I slept well thanks… did you?" she asked almost smugly. Temari blushed and Kankuro blinked, "Yeah, little sis… where were you last night?"

Sakura smirked some more, "She did?" she asked, then she smiled, "Congrats," she just said and left the kitchen leaving a relieved Temari and a confused Kankuro who still is in the dark about the whole relationship. Sakura got a nice quick shower clearing her mind of most of her worries. The warm water escaladed down her skin, then got mixed in with blood. She touched her injury and brought her hand out in front of her face, she watched as the blood rolled down her pale hand and landed onto her toes, then got washed away.

She got out of the shower and changed into a black mini skirt and a gray t-shirt. She put on her gloves and her hitai-ate. She went outside for some fresh air, only to be encountered by Gaara. "Hey," she greeted. "Hi," they stayed silent for a few moments, remembering the talk they had yesterday. "Wanna take a stroll, unless you're busy of course," she said trying to lessen the tension. "Yeah, I just came here to check on… them." He said meaning his siblings.

They went to a particularly deserted, calming place, Sakura's favorite place he found out. They sat together on a bench and just stayed silent. The tension getting to both of them but neither was having the courage to say anything for the moment. She squirmed in her seat and finally got closer to him, cupped his cheek and kissed it, "I at least owe you that much for your bravery of confessing to the Princess of Konoha." She whispered to him and they laughed. Sakura sighed in relief internally that the wall that was slowly building up cracked in a second.

She realized perfectly now that she was dwelling on the past. Her fantasies on her Prince Charming, I mean. She now realized that she had five princes already, and one that she thought was her Prince Charming at first… maybe… just maybe… finally fell in love with her. But if so… she can't rejoice. She's finally mended the shards of her broken heart… and she's not ready to let it break a second time when it's still healing… even less by the same person.

Fairy Tales are illusions made to keep you astray from reality… much alike the illusion we call love.

Love is a lie… love is an illusion… love is pain… love is happiness… love is magic… love is hatred… love… is just love.

Sakura smiled and waved goodbye to the siblings and dragged Shikamaru away from Temari's hold couhglipscough on him. "Looks like it went well…" she said mischievously. He blushed, "Troublesome women," he mumbled to himself and Sakura did nothing but smirk. "Congrats…" she said quietly. He blinked, "Has Gaara," he asked slowly. "Hai… he told me," she looked down. "You okay?" she nodded slowly. "Yeah…" she answered but who was she kidding? She was far from okay. She closed her eyes for a moment and listened to her surroundings.

She took a deep calming breath and entered Konoha. They took a long time to get there but they didn't mind at all. They walked up to the mansion, she looked back to see Shikamaru at least a few feet away from her. "What is it?" she asked raising an eyebrow at him. "I'm too young to die here and now in these circumstances." Sakura put her hands on her hips, "Just tell them that this was all my fault for 

running away from you… anyways… this injury isn't that bad. "That bad huh? That's why the bandage is all bloody huh?" he asked concerned… for himself, I mean.

Sakura sighed out of frustration, "Fine, you can stay out here," she said to him and opened the door. She came in and all gazes came to her. There was another thick silence in the air just like every time that she came in and they were surprised… or just want her to feel weird, but she did admit that it freaked her out a little. She resisted the urge to just shout out, "What, cat got your tongue?" she corner of her mouth twitched and she mentally pinched herself to get out the urge to pummel all of them. Deidara was the first to speak, just like Naruto he just had to point out the obvious and not afraid to speak his mind. "Sakura-chan," he gasped, "What happened to your head, un?" Sakura twitched again, feeling like she's just been insulted. "I just… got injured," she said through gritted teeth. Neji glared at the injury and then glared at the doorway when Shikamaru's head popped out of it. Shikamaru sneaked his way to the kitchen, "Shikamaru!" Neji yelled.

He gulped and went into the living room, "It wasn't my fault… she's the one who ran away from the village and got rescued by Gaara and so on and so forth," he explained. All the guys twitched and all thought, _'Gaara you bastard!' _Sasuke and Itachi just remained silent in the moment; Sasori also remained silent but was chopping down the table with a table knife; Neji was glaring holes into Shikamaru.

"It wasn't my fault!" Shikamaru said exasperatedly and sat on the couch. Sakura just shook her head and went up to her room with Conan following behind her. Conan entered the room and closed the door behind her. "I have a feeling that you're hiding something from me." She said knowingly sitting on the bed as Sakura changed. "He confessed…" she whispered quietly. She gasped a little, "So the sand boy confessed… so what's wrong with that?" she asked.

"I don't know… it's like… I'm confused… I don't know where I'm going anymore. I had a plan all figured out a long time ago of what my life would be like… but now… it doesn't make sense anymore… nothing I do right now makes sense." She explained. Conan looked at the kunoichi with grief, "You need vacation… I know, I know and don't look at me like that… I know… you'll go on a date!" she shouted out and Sakura fell over from the shock of her announcement. "What?!" she yelled, "Come on, every time you go to work at least ten men are at your door with flowers and chocolate and love letters."

Sakura just grunted, "Whatever… but no…" Conan did her puppy dog face, "Come on…" then she smirked, "Then why don't you go out with one of the boys? It's a change and don't think of it as a date… but as… a friendly outing between friends." She chirped. What they didn't know though was that the boys were listening to their conversation by the microphone that they put in case of emergencies that Sakura would have another attack.

All the boys stood in a circle and glared at each other. Conan came downstairs looking smugly at the boys knowing perfectly that the microphone was in her room. "Oh, I know! One day off each week? That way each day you can go on a date- I mean… friendly outing with each other!" she corrected grinning sheepishly. "Alright… who goes first tomorrow?" then everyone tensed. "Draw straws of different lenghts, the one with the shortest will go first and so on and so forth," Shikamaru said heading to the kitchen and Sakura glared at him.

"Okay… Sakura, you hold the straws." After a few minutes the turns were like this: Neji, Sasori, Deidara, Itachi and Sasuke. "Bad luck, foolish little brother," Itachi mumbled and Sasuke glared at him whiles 

everyone smirked and snickered at the youngest Uchiha's bad luck. "Alright Neji, you're going on a date with Sakura in three days so be prepared!" Conan said while smirking. Neji blushed a little, "Yeah," he mumbled and went to the kitchen.

Sakura then gasped and everyone turned to her, "What is it? They asked. "I have to take back Karin… and after we do we need to move," she said, walking towards the door. "Move? Move where?" Deidara asked. "To the new mansion." Suigetsu replied. "Cool, we're moving out, un!" Deidara said jumping up and down.

Sakura went to the Hokage tower then to the prison with Tsunade. They got Karin out who was now powerless. "Your time period in here's over," Tsunade said angrily. Karin looked away, "About time!" she yelled and one of the guards detached the chakra bindings from her hands and feet and secured the seal that was on her back. On the way out of the prison, Karin winked waved goodbye to the boys and they answered, "Bye Karin!" all together, she blew the cutest one a kiss then winked again.

Sakura and Tsunade looked at each other and made faces. They practically had to drag Karin out of the damn prison. Tsunade stayed with them to see this new mansion. They went through the new rock that was actually being carved into an archway with beautiful carvings and patterns on the border. Sakura unlocked it and went in with the others. Kiko was there waving at them they went towards her, "So, this is your new mansion Haruno-san!" she said pointing an arm at the beautiful pearly white mansion.


	9. The End of the World

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! If I did… this fanfic would've really happened!

Thanks to all my reviewers! I have a couple of ideas of new Naruto fanfiction. If you want to see the summaries just go to my profile and you'll find some and tell me if you like any of them!

Chapter 9: The End of the World!

It was big to say the least; it was surrounded by the natural flowers and a few trees. There was a crystal fountain to the east and to its west was a medium white little roof held up by columns that had a tea table on it and two chairs opposite each other. The most beautiful sight though was of the crystallized flowers bordering the whole perimeter of the area. Everyone gasped, "Haruno-san, we took your idea of the theme crystal moonlight." She said as they went inside. "Now, with furniture it would look splendid but this is I think my best work… especially with all the money you put into this project." She said.

The way to there was led by a sidewalk; she took out a key, it was a cherry blossom form, "This is the latest keys that we could find," she said, she put the cherry blossom on the doorknob and pressed a button it and the now double doors that had carvings of roses on it opened. They went inside to see a big space. The ceiling was very tall and on it was an of course crystal chandelier in form of rain.

When you first walk in it was like the other mansion a living room and a kitchen but the wall facing the living room was made of glass, "This wall is just to look at what's going on outside and it had a beautiful view of the crystal fountain." They walked up the normal big staircase that led to the staircase to go to the second floor.

They went up to second floor to find doors of different styles. "The second floor is all bedrooms; in all it has twelve bedrooms two of them are master bedrooms one for you of course Sakura-san… and three guest rooms." They opened one of the bedrooms, "In each bedroom is a walk in closet and a bathroom," she explained. "Oh yes, the third floor is the room you told us to leave." They went up to the third floor and found double doors hiding what was inside.

They went in and they all except Sakura gaped. The room was huge but with nothing inside it. They were on a grand marble staircase leading to the empty room. The borders though were elevated so you could see the people from a few feet under you. "If I may ask… what is this room for?" Kiko asked, "You told us to just elevate the borders and that's all. Sakura looked at the room, "It's a ball room," she answered. Conan blinked, "Why do you need a ball room?" she asked. "Like you said… we need to have fun didn't you? This could be used as the place to have fun," she smirked in victory.

"You're very sneaky," Conan whispered. "It looks like a ballroom from a fairy tale," Kiko added in. _'Yeah… that's what it's supposed to be… a fairy tale full of people dancing in the room and the king and queen sitting on their thrones and the princess and prince dancing in the middle of the room while the other guests observed from the elevated balconies.' _ She thought bitterly.

They went to the last stage, "This was not in the plan and I'm sorry if you don't like it but… I thought it would go perfectly with the moonlight theme. The door was a metallic violet and she took out another key that had the crescent moon on it this time and put it into the doorknob and pressed a button.

The door opened and they went in, everyone gasped, it was a dome. You could see the sky from here, "It looks better at night that's why I put it here. It's great for having an indoor campout under the stars." 

She explained. "How much did this cost?"Conan asked. "This cost pretty much like normal glass windows but more money because of the rounded shape and the size… and even in a hundred years I don't think it's going to break down. This mansion I think will be in history." She said knowingly then covering her eyes, "It's getting hot in here so why don't you guys come back at night," she said leading them out.

They went around to the back of the house to a big magnificent porch; it was opposite the waterfall. The waterfall stayed the same. "I've also added a few accessories to the back yard that I think is marvelous for this." She said, it was true she added a few long chairs around, "I made it into a private little beach," she said, giving a refreshing view of the waterfall that every few minutes would spray the area with a light shower.

"So that's a whole month's hard labor come to… but I think it was worth it." She said smiling. The others took a better look at the mansion, and choosing a room while Sakura and Kiko talked, "Arigatou for all the work you've done," Sakura said congratulating Kiko while she was blushing, "Oh, It's nothing… anyways… it's an honor to meet the Princess of Konoha." Sakura laughed almost bitterly at that name. "So… which one is it?" Kiko whispered. "Huh? Pardon?"

"Which one of those boys are you in love with?" Kiko précised, Sakura smiled lightly, "I'm afraid that I don't know," she said truthfully. "I can't blame you… they're all really handsome." Kiko said daydreaming about her love life. "Oh, I'm sorry, me and my fantasies, well… I'll give you the keys now…" she said taking out from her purse the two keys. "Matte!" Sakura shouted out to her just as she was about to leave.

"Nani?" Kiko returned, Sakura smiled sheepishly, "I know this isn't part of your contract… but… well you see… I'm not really good with styles… and truthfully… my best friends think that I'm becoming a boy… a party's coming up and I don't want them to criticize about my house." Sakura was having a hard time doing this because she wasn't used to asking for help, "well… what I would like to say is… can you please help me pick out the furniture and items?" she said embarrassed.

Kiko just giggled, "I'd be honored…" Conan showed up behind them, "A little shopping for some furniture… and clothes while we're at it… I did all I could to re-patch up Sasuke's shirt… but I think in a couple days it will fall apart… I don't mean his abs are not good to look at, on the contrary they're- "Conan… I think you're getting off the point." Sakura interrupted. "Gomen… anyways… do you know anything about clothes?" Conan asked Kiko. "Oh course!" and they started talking about the latest fashion.

Sakura rubbed her tired temples, "How about in two days?" she said abruptly and the two girls turned their attention to her. "Fine with me!" Kiko chirped and Conan walked her to the exit. Sakura sighed, and looked at the sky, "How time flies when you're bored out of your mind," she said and went back to home to cook some dinner. Surprisingly Karin was there eating a bucket of ice cream… now that screamed pathetic. She didn't even notice Sakura walk into the room, even though she has a sixth sense for sensing peoples' chakra a mile away; even if her chakra was sealed she still had her abilities. "Rough day?" Sakura asked feeling just a little pity for the woman. Karin snorted, "That would make your day, wouldn't it?" Karin asked eating another spoon full of chocolate ice cream.

"You know what the problem with men is?" Karin asked. Sakura stayed silent for a minute, "If we did then life would be easy," she said taking out her ingredients. Karin laughed, "Yeah…" and took another pitiful bite out of the ice cream. Sakura looked at the girl, that girl may have poisoned her and hated 

her… but it seems like she still had a heart. Now usually Sakura would just leave her alone but her golden heart seemed to shine at that moment and she couldn't stop herself from asking, "What's wrong?" then mentally slapped herself.

"What's wrong? Men… that's what's wrong. One day they love you… the next," she threw her hands in the air, "They hate you." Sakura smirked, "That's the way they are," she said truthfully. "I hate them… so stubborn…" "Obnoxious," "Stupid," "And are way in over their heads," they both said at the same time and for the first time they acknowledged each other, as… well… friends. Karin scrapped the bottom of the bucket with her spoon while Sakura continued cooking, then they both sighed.

Sakura then tried to read Karin's mind… how easy that was; people are most vulnerable when they're depressed. _'Why does he treat me that way? Why does he hate me so?'_ Karin thought and Sakura thought it was probably Sasuke that she was thinking of… but the next words Karin thought almost made her fall over. _'Why do you hate me so… Suigetsu?' _Sakura pinched her side to keep from screaming it out to the world. She took deep breaths, "I thought you were in love with Sasuke," Sakura said slyly.

Karin blinked, "Of course I am, what makes you think other wise?" Karin said getting nervous. "Oh, I don't know… just a little thing." Sakura answered nonchalantly. "Well, for your information, I am deeply in love with Sasuke." She said then added in her mind, _'Only to make Suigetsu jealous,'_ and sakura smirked. "Are you sure you're telling me the truth?" she asked raising an eyebrow at Karin who was now sweating.

"O-Of course," Sakura sighed, "I can read minds you know," she said stirring the pot then tasting, Karin's eyes widened, "What?! Really? I mean, you're lying." She said turning away. "Am I really? If I can't… then how do you suppose I know that you're only after Sasuke to make Suigetsu jealous?" she said raising her eyebrows at the red-head and staring smugly at her. "W-well… b-buh… u-umm… th-that's… umm…" Sakura smirked to herself in getting the red-head this ruffled up.

Then Karin did the unthinkable, she bowed to Sakura, "Please don't tell anyone!" she said. Sakura was going to but this woman was not worth it and the situation right now was pathetic. Sakura sighed, "I'm not that heartless…" Sakura answered then her inner decided to speak, **"Unlike you!"** _"Urasai!" _Sakura yelled at her inner. Sakura can't deny that Karin and Suigetsu got on each other's nerves… a lot…. But overlooking that fact… they might actually be a nice couple… I mean… bad couple.

Sakura and the others ate dinner peacefully and went to sleep. Sakura though kept working on some unfinished paperwork. A little while after at 11:00 Sasuke came out of his room to get a drink when he heard shuffling from inside Sakura's room. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the stubborn girl and opened the door. He was about to say something but decided against it when he saw that she was asleep on her desk, the shuffling of papers was when she moved and a pile fell to the ground.

He sighed and picked her up; he put her in bed and put the covers lightly on her. He stroked her hair a few times before kissing her forehead then grimacing at the bandage that was on it then exiting the room. Sakura turned and twisted in her sleep until she woke up in a cold sweat. She looked around the room to find Sasori sitting in a corner of the room. "Sasori?" she rubbed her eyes, making sure she wasn't dreaming. His eyes slowly opened, "You woke up?" he asked. He stood up from his chair and went over to her. "What are you doing here? In my room?" she asked as if t was impossible.

"You were moaning in your sleep and had a slight fever so I stayed just in case you needed someone." Sakura smiled softly at him, "Thanks Sasori… and I think company would do me good right now," she said as she yawned. He chuckled, "So does that mean I can stay?" she looked at him, "What do you think?" she asked playfully. He grabbed a chair and sat next to her bed, "Try to sleep now… its 1:00 in the morning. He said as she caressed her cheek softly with the back of his hand. "Arigatou…" she said softly as she closed her eyes.

She got a bad premonition of what was to come soon. She was feeling weird and premonitions don't come to her for a reason. The word 'Premonition' is taboo to her like 'Winning' is taboo to Tsunade; it was like when Tsunade won at gambling.

So having a premonition for Sakura was not a good sign, but then she felt sleepy. "Something's not right…" she mumbled before falling into a deep slumber. She woke up the next day to Sayuri licking her cheek. "Okay, I'm awake…" Sakura said waking up, she opened her eyes then she felt like her hands were chained to the bed… which they weren't. She looked at her wrist but nothing was there. She looked around but Sasori was nowhere to be found.

She forced herself to go to her bathroom and take a nice bath which took the weight off her wrists. She then wore black shorts and a loose but not too loose T-shirt that hugged her curves. She added her elbow pads, black gloves and hitai-ate. She re-bandaged her forehead and she went downstairs to find Neji and Shikamaru already standing in the doorway waiting for her and the others sitting quietly already finished with breakfast.

Sakura went over to Shikamaru and Neji and talked for a while until Neji and Sakura left suddenly. Now the admirers' glares all turned to Shikamaru at the same time. He gulped, "They went to train," the glares got harder, "With Hokage-sama," then all of them gave a look of 'tell-me-where-she-is-or-else' Shikamaru sighed, "Follow me…" Shikamaru said getting out of the mansion and out the door.

They went outside and everything became silent. The salesmen stopped screaming to buy their product, saleswomen backed up; the males of the village glared at them while the women took their children out of sight. The ninjas that were passing by gave a glare at everyone of them. Then a little boy bumped into Sasori, "Owi!" he exclaimed then a woman, who must be his mother ran towards him and pulled him away, "Don't go near them dear," she whispered to her son, "I'm s-sorry," she stuttered the apology to Sasori and ran.

The little boy though on the way dropped a teddy bear (he was 5) Sasori just looked at it. The little boy was trying to get out of his mother's grasp to get his teddy bear back with no avail. Sasori picked it up slowly and went towards them. Everyone tensed around the area and some backed away slowly. Sasori handed the bear to the little boy. The boy was crying then stopped, he slowly reached out for his precious teddy bear and grabbed it then smiled, "Arigatou, nii-san!" he called out then Sasori went back to the group. They could hear sighs of relief from the people who noticed the scene.

They went to a shaded place of a forest nearby that was not out of Konoha's perimeters. There they found Sakura and Neji holding hands. Sakura's right hand was on Neji's left hand and they were closing their eyes. Then after a while Neji jumped back breathing hard as if he just finished two hours of training. Sakura smirked at him, "Well… you held up 10 minutes more than usual, congrats." She mocked then gave him a kiss on the cheek, oblivious to the glares around her.

"Who's next?" Sakura asked looking around, "What did you do?" Deidara asked. "It's a game of training… with your mind… you hold hands and you battle it out in the mind… the first one to let go loses because they dropped the connection." Tsunade explained, smirking when their eyes lit up when she said 'you hold hands'

"Deidara!" Sakura called out, Deidara looked smugly at the others. He went over to Sakura and they held hands and closed their eyes. It was a good 20 minutes until Deidara dropped his hand from hers. "Are you sure you don't have advantages in your head?" Sakura hit him playfully. "Ha, ha… everything's normal in there… I think…" she said playfully. Deidara grinned and took this chance as an opening and he kissed her cheek. Sakura being surprised just had to blush a very soft and light pink.

The admirers' fists tightened and their jaws hardened. When Sakura wasn't looking Deidara stuck out his tongue at them and blew raspberries. They fumed, Tsunade wasn't paying attention to what her apprentice was saying but instead was looking at the boys that were fuming. "Hmm… Sakura… why don't you take three hours or so with Shizune at the hospital? I'd like to see what these boys are capable of." Sakura nodded, "After our game?" Tsunade nodded, "Yeah, let's start the game now."

The two most powerful kunoichi that Konoha has every seen took out a rubber ball… and played catch. They passed the ball to each other back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. Everyone was watching with amusement as the Hokage and the most powerful kunoichi did their 'game' "Catch?" Sasuke asked. Sakura smirked and threw it to Sasuke who decided to catch it with one hand… but right when the ball made contact with his skin his skin burned and the ball pushed him back two feet.

The ball then dropped to the ground lifelessly, "What the heck was that?" he said as he examined his burnt hands "Oh, I'm sorry," Sakura said and she went over to him and took his hand in her own. "It's something Tsunade-shishou made up. The ball is made of rubber infused with a small bit of chakra that when touched with something else with chakra it burns. That's why it's got to keep moving, or else your hands would end up toasted." She said as she healed the burns in three minutes.

Sasuke nodded, "It was heavy," he remarked. "Right… that is because every time it passes by us we put a little amount of chakra inside the ball every time, so each time it gets heavier and it burns more. She checked his hand again, "Seems like the force kind of misplaced a single bone in your hand… but that could easily be arranged at the hospital." Then suddenly everyone said "NO!" (Sasori, Itachi, Neji, Deidara and Tsunade) Tsunade laughed nervously, "I think you can just finish it up here while these boys sparred with each other."

So that was it: Itachi vs. Sasori and Deidara vs. Neji. Sakura and Sasuke took a seat under a tree and Sakura began to massage his hand, "Tell me when it hurts," she said and began. Sasuke was enjoying this… however he would've enjoyed it more if they were alone in the hospital. He glared at the sparring men and then glared Tsunade who was talking to Shizune. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, "What's wrong?" she asked. Sasuke blinked and turned to her, "Nothing… ow!" he exclaimed. She jumped a little, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push that hard!" she said caressing the spot gently.

"Its fine…" he said, "Okay…" she said as she stood up and went over to Tsunade; she talked with her then left with Shizune. Tsunade eyes the young Uchiha as he watched Sakura go away… as did Itachi, Sasori, Deidara and Neji. She already knew that Neji was in love with the girl; and that Itachi's been caring to her; and she also figured that Deidara had some feelings for the girl… either that… or he's just stupid for getting S-criminals mad. Sasori… doesn't know much about him; and Sasuke…

In truth, Tsunade was kind of bitter at first about Sasuke coming back since the night he left. Then she realized that this may be for the best after all… and she was right… Sakura's happy as ever and Sasuke's falling for the girl that he once found annoying and weak. If only he knew that she did this all for him… maybe he did… she should ask.

Tsunade sighed, "You'd better not hurt her!" she said out loud and the boys turned to her, "You'd better not hurt her," she repeated. "I have a feeling that you guys are after her… but you know… that's not possible right now." They all stared at her blankly. Tsunade sighed, "Do I have to spell everything out to you?!" she yelled exasperatingly. They all still had blank stares on except for Neji and Shikamaru who were just standing behind her leaning on trees.

"Okay… listen now, and listen well… we might not have a chance like this anymore. Neji, Shikamaru… come here too, I have to tell you something very important." Shikamaru shrugged and went over with Neji; they all stood around her. "As Neji and Shikamaru may know… it is that time of the year… again." Shikamaru and Neji snickered. "Yeah," they answered, "The last 'Big Day' was damn funny!" Neji snickered.

The others though were confused. Tsunade kept her laughter in check and continued, "Anyways… for those of you who don't know… the 'Big Day' comes every one or two months. On those days… a rich clan would come here… and ask for Sakura's hand in marriage." They all blinked, "WHAT?!"

"Ssh! Anyways… there have been… four…" "Five!" Shikamaru interrupted, "Oh, five weddings already… and in every one of them… Sakura would devise a plan to get out. And of course… I cannot do anything since am the Hokage…" Tsunade smirked, "But…" Shikamaru laughed, "No one says that no one else can't." "Exactly."

"What did she do?" Suigetsu asked. Tsunade giggled, "The first time… she blew up the place and ran away from the village for three days…" she said then turned to Shikamaru, "The second… she set him on fire…" Shikamaru answered. "The third… she intimidated him so much while they were together that…" he cleared his throat and motioned for Shikamaru to continue, "That… when he was about to say 'I do'… he wet his pants!" he said and started laughing.

"The fourth… he fell in love with somebody else… that was no fun…" Tsunade said remembering the girl he married, she was… ugly. "Then the fifth!" Tsunade and Shikamaru exclaimed. "When he was about to say 'I do' she reached into her dress and took out a sword… then she said, 'Say one more word and you'll regret it!' she said. But…" Tsunade rambled and Shikamaru took it as his cue, "He said 'I'… and she…" Tsunade smirked, "She cut his belt and his pants dropped to the ground! His grandmother had a heart attack on seeing that… that… he wasn't wearing any underwear!" They all went into a laughing fit for 5 minutes.

They caught their breath and Tsunade became serious… or as serious as she might want to be. "Anyways… a few days before another 'Big Day' even before the clan arrives… I gamble… and every time… I lose." Shikamaru and Neji thought, "Reminding me… you owe me 50.000 yen!" Neji exclaimed, then everyone sweat-dropped. Tsunade laughed nervously, "I hoped that you would've forgotten that!" she whispered.

"Anyways… yesterday… I won 100.000 yen." Shikamaru and Neji backed up away from the woman. "What does that mean?" Itachi asked, sounding very dark. "The last time I won that much was when Orochimaru came to me asking for my help." She said gravely. Everyone was silent, "The upcoming 'Big Day' might not be anything special… but who knows… Orochimaru knows that Sakura's healing abilities have passed mine greatly… he wants her to join him. He got away from you… didn't he?" she asked looking at Sasuke. "Tch, he ran away at the last minute." He said, regretting that he let him get away… now Sakura might be in danger.

"Now you know that leaving sakura alone for the next few weeks is very dangerous… he might come up at any time… so that's why I'm asking you… not as a command… but as a request for Sakura." Tsunade said looking at every one of them. Karin's fists tightened as the conversation went to Sakura. Karin took a quick glance at Suigetsu who was nodding. Karin looked down, _'Great… she's getting all the attention… again! If that' the way she wants it… then so be it… Suigetsu may be the one I like… but Sasuke's been the one that I've been dreaming of… so I'm going to take that away from her…' _she smiled evilly.

_The next day…_

Karin woke up fairly early. "Today's the day that she's going down!" she said to herself. She crept to Sasuke's room… but he wasn't there. "Perfect…" she whispered as she saw a glass with water on the desk, she smiled then went over to it and dropped a round ball in it that dissolved quickly. "That'll do it…" she said as she covered up any signs of her chakra left and went back to her room. She waited for Sasuke to come back and make sure that he drinks it… but as time passed… she became more impatient.

She threw her legs over the bed and got up. She went to his room and got the glass. She searched for him and she found that he was outside. She sighed that she would have to leave the house. She looked at herself and smirked. She was only wearing her underwear and a tank top. She crept to the door and went outside where she found Sasuke training with his sword in his hand. He stopped abruptly, "Karin… I know you're there!" he called out then when she came out did he start swinging his sword again.

"Sasuke-kun! You must be warm after this… why don't you have a drink?" Sasuke stopped and looked at her then the drink, "How am I sure that you didn't poison it?" Karin gasped, "Now… why would I try to poison you?" she said innocently. He took the glass away from her hands and threw the contents on the grass. She gasped, "Why did you do that?" she asked, "Because of that!" he said pointing to the spot where the water had landed… it was now smoking a deep purple smoke. Karin turned her back to him, _'Plan A failed… I guess I'll have to go to the final step… Plan B…' _she reached into her bra and took out another pill. She smirked; she then put it in her mouth and turned to him. He waited for what she was going to do next. She disappeared from her spot and reappeared behind him and as she predicted… he turned around to be met up with her lips.

She kissed him! (That must be disgusting! EEEW! Xl) His eyes widened and she put her hands to either side of his head to keep him from moving. She opened his mouth with her tongue and slipped the drug into his mouth. She got the drug in… but she didn't let go of her lip-lock on him. _'He tastes good!'_ she thought. Then she felt him go limp on her and she caught his body. She smirked to herself and took off his shirt then slipping into the bed with her face right across from his. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes.

She woke up to someone's breath on her face. She opened her eyes to see Sasuke looking at her, "Sasuke?" she called out cutely. "Yes?" he answered. "Kiss me," she commanded to see if the drug 

worked. They waited a while but nothing happened, then as she was about to get up he put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her to him in a kiss. Her eyes widened then she smirked. She looked at Sasuke who had an emotionless look on. "Tell me who you are…" she said. "I am Sasuke Uchiha… servant to Mistress Karin." He said like a robot. "Perfect… now… when we get downstairs… do everything I tell you to…" she said, he nodded and she smirked evilly, "Good boy…"

In the next room, "What's with all that noise?' Sakura asked when she heard a thump from Sasuke's room. She looked at her clock, "6:00… Kiko said she would come by, by 9:00," Sakura remembered then proceeded to take a quick shower. She then put on red caprice and her pink sleeveless top that zipped up. She put on her boots, elbow pads, gloves and hitai-ate. She looked at the clock, "I'm not that hungry yet…" she said as she sat down in front of her vanity and brushed her hair.

When she was finished, she put it up in a high ponytail. She sighed at herself and went downstairs. She sat at the table with Sasori. Itachi was reading a new book he got yesterday when they went to the library. Neji was talking on the phone with who seems to be Naruto that's screaming into it. Shikamaru was to be found outside enjoying his clouds with Juugo while Suigetsu was mad about something or other.

Suigetsu's glare then went to the stairs where Sasuke and Karin were… hand in hand. Everyone stopped moving, the birds outside stopped chirping; toads stopped croaking; the wind stopped blowing… it was definitely… the end of the world!


	10. New Look

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Alright thanks for all the reviews and I know that no one loved the last chapter. I have good news and bad news. Good news: Karin's life will become a living hell… Bad new: that won't happen for a few more chapters.

Just to let you all know… when I wrote the last chapter I almost hurled, seriously. Anyways the next chapter will be some little shorties of Sakura's dates, each one having a theme. But waiting for that here's a chapter that I made at one in the morning.

Chapter 10: New Look

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards the stairs where the 'couple' held hands. Their eyes widened and their gazes followed the 'couple' who were going down the stairs at a very slow pace as if to… make it more…. memorable. Conan rubbed her eyes then narrowed it at Karin. When they (finally) got down the stairs, Karin nudged Sasuke a little and he nodded, "Can we please speak with you alone, Sakura?" he asked. Sakura raised an eyebrow, but nodded and they started walking towards one of the parlors.

Sakura closed the door behind her and took a seat in one of the chairs while they took the love seat. "What do you want to talk about?" Sakura asked crossing her legs and folding her arms in front of her. **"Yeah! And what have you done to Sasuke biatch!" **her inner yelled while glaring holes into them, even though they don't notice.

Karin cleared her throat and that seemed to be the cue for Sasuke to start talking. "We want to be assigned to another ANBU guardian." He said emotionlessly. Sakura was shocked to say the least but she kept her poker face on, "Is that so? And by we… you mean Karin and you?" she asked, although knowing the answer already. Karin nodded, "Yes… _Sasuke-poo_ and I have decided that things were getting too crowded for our liking… so we decided that living with only the two of us, we'll be soo much better off." She said while smiling. (YUCK!)

Sakura sighed, "If that's your decision then so be it… please follow me and I'll get things straight with the Hokage." Sakura said as she got up.

"**Hey, how about we throw her off a cliff? Or… beat her to a pulp? Or even… use the Mangekyo Sharingan on her? Oh, oh, oh! I've got a better idea! Let's shave her head!" **her inner cackled, Sakura just rolled her eyes; _'I would if I could…' _she answered back. **"Well then why can't you?" **her inner pouted. _'Because… I am ANBU captain who has responsibilities… and by the looks of it…' _she glanced behind her to the couple, who were laughing, _'Sasuke's going to be stuck at her side.'_

She opened the door and right away everyone's heads fell down on top of each other with a _thump_. They all smiled sheepishly and quickly got up and dusted themselves off. Then they walked off while whistling, "So?" they all asked. Sakura raised and eyebrow then rolled her eyes, "As if you don't know already," she said while walking towards the door. Sasuke and Karin followed her close behind. When they got outside everything became quiet again but when the villagers saw Sakura they all were relieved and said 'Hi' to her.

Sakura smiled and waved back when a boy came to her with a heart melting smile and a bouquet of roses in his hands. "Sakura," he said charmingly. Sakura rolled her eyes, "For the fifth time already… no, I 

will not go out with you, Niwa." She said. "Please? Just one? And I swear I won't ask you anymore… unless of course… you want to." He said while wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Sakura looked at him with disgust. He put his arm around her… and she scowled at him but he just ignored it.

Right then a pain went through Sasuke… but he just ignored it. Karin looked his sudden change, "What's wrong, sweetie?" he smiled at her, "Nothing…" he answered back. Karin smiled back, "Okay…" she then hung on tighter to his arm. A few minutes later they knocked on the Hokage's door and entered. Tsunade was more than surprised to see them. "What… is going on?" she asked staring confusedly at Karin's who's got her arms snaked around Sasuke's waist. "They want to change ANBU." Sakura answered coldly.

Tsunade's eyes widened a centimeter, "Why?" she asked mainly at Sakura. "Because… they want some… privacy…" Sakura said making a face. Tsunade couldn't believe it, but she had no right to say no something that was chosen by them concerning things like this. "Alright… you will be assigned to another ANBU… pack your things… another ANBU will come by this evening to pick you up at any time…" She said looking at the files with free ANBU. (a/n: wow… I used the word Anbu 3 times in a paragraph…)

Sasuke and Karin nodded and walked outside, Tsunade sighed, "Now, can you please tell me what the damn hell is going on?" she asked. Sakura leaned on the desk, "I don't know myself… this morning was one I wasn't looking forward to…" Sakura said honestly. Tsunade nodded, "How are you taking it?" Sakura almost fell over, "What do you mean taking it?"

"Come on… how's it like to see someone you loved in another girl's arms, huh?" she asked while smiling sadly. Sakura laughed sarcastically, "Keyword Shishou… _loved_… not anymore, and not gonna happen again." She said while walking to the door. "You can't run from love Sakura… it has a way of… coming back to you…" Tsunade said as if remembering something.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "You talk like you've experience it before… which I know you would because if you're like this now…" she shivered, "I'd hate to see the you back then… in the_ old_ days." She said smirking while closing the door, making sure to put an emphasis on old. Tsunade scowled at that last remark but then put on a sad face, "The old days, huh? I sometimes wonder what would've happened if you were still alive… Dan…" she asked herself while looking at a picture.

Back to Sakura…

When they got home everything was… noisy. Suigetsu was yelling at Jugo for something or other, Sasori and Deidara were verbally fighting, and Neji and Itachi were in a glaring contest. None of them noticed their arrival. Sakura sighed then there was a knock at the door. She went over to open it and caught a glimpse of Karin's smug face looking her way. Sakura just rolled her eyes and opened the door to find Kiko grinning from ear to ear, "Ready, Haruno-san?" she asked.

Sakura nodded, "Please, just call me Sakura," Kiko's eyes turned to stars, "Really?" Sakura nodded and she squealed, "Oh! I'm sooo happy!" she yelled ecstatically. Conan appeared from somewhere, "What is she on?" she whispered to Sakura. "Coffee?" Sakura answered while sweat-dropping at the girl who looked like she was a having a sugar rush. Conan shrugged, "Well… why don't we have our girl-time then?" she looked back to the boys and scowled at Karin. "Well… we're out to have some girl time… have fun _boys._" She said while looking smug at Karin who fumed for being called a boy.

Sakura high fived Conan once they were out and Kiko was still high. "So where to first?" Sakura asked thinking that she's rarely just gone shopping, well; shopping for weapons and her food; but that was before the others came. Kiko was calm by now, "I know, I know, I know! Why don't we go into there!" she squealed. "I don't know about you… but when she's off work… she looks like a kid who just ate two buckets of ice cream," Conan whispered.

Sakura smiled, "Yeah… and make that three buckets of ice cream." Then she remembered Karin and her bucket of ice cream. _'She's told me already that she likes Suigetsu… so why Sasuke?' _Sakura asked herself. **"Because she's a lying two-timer who's only after Sasuke's good looks! Believe me… Suigetsu's… cute… but not handsome… bright… but not smart. As for Sasuke… he's handsome, intelligent… strong… funny…" **her inner giggled and fell into a dreamy state. _'Thanks for the info,'_ Sakura answered back and completely ignored her inner's ongoing rant about 'The Things Sasuke Are! insert fangirl squealing'.

Then she looked around the shop they were in and her eyes widened, which doesn't happen very often. "W-What is this?" she asked, all she saw were bras, panties, and what-not. "Why are we in a lingerie shop?" she asked. Conan smirked, "Because… we're young… single… and- oh my god! That is sooo cute!" she yelled with stars in her eyes while running towards a certain pair. Sakura sweat-dropped, "Yeah…"

"Sakura!" someone yelled. She looked around her to find a blushing Hinata, an ecstatic Ino with a lot of revealing lingerie… _'Wait… is that a whip?!' _Sakura shivered at the thought. Then out from the shoes section came Tenten with some needle point stilettos, "Are these really wearable?" she asked looking at the length of the heel. Ino smiled, "Of course they are honey!" she said while grabbing them from Tenten and trying them on.

While that was going on someone called to them from the make-up section. Then out of it came Temari who was coughing from an over dose of perfume, "This place is –cough- suffocating!" she said while going towards the group. "Oh, hi Sakura-chan, Conan-chan." She greeted. Conan and Ino looked at their group, "This is fate!" they both yelled. Ino suddenly twitched like she was in pain, Tenten smirked, "So… they're wearable huh?" she asked smugly.

They all looked down at Ino's feet; the shoes were red strap-up stilettos; her feet were almost to a 180 angle. The straps went way up to her mid-thigh and her toes looked like they were turning purple. Sakura looked at her feet, "Ino… hate to break it to ya… but if you keep those on… your joints will pop out of your skin." Sakura said. She was right; because they hurt so much, Ino was bending her feet outwards to support herself. Ino screamed, "Get them off, get them off!" she yelled panicking.

Everyone sweat-dropped, Hinata helped her get it off and Ino sighed. Tenten got an evil glint in her eyes, "I win…" she said. Ino cried anime tears, "Fine!" then she reached into her bra and got out some money and handed it to Tenten who smiled from ear to ear, "Nice making business with you miss." She said happily.

While Sakura was busy looking at the shoes Conan gathered up the other girls and told them what has happened. They all looked at Sakura who was putting the shoes away, "So… does she still like Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked. Conan shook her head, "No one knows… I mean… almost all the boys in the house have obvious feelings of desire for her… I mean… really… whenever one of them approaches her the others glare holes into his back… even the Kazekage confessed his undying love for her." Conan explained. Then everyone screamed, "What?!" Conan shushed them.

"Yeah, he went to Suna a while ago and I found out that Sabaku no Gaara confessed his love to her… and that Temari and Shikamaru are together!" Temari twitched and plugged her ears because she knew what was going to happen, "Aaaaah!" Ino screamed, "Why didn't you tell us before?" everyone sweat-dropped and backed away.

"Now that we're all here… why don't we just shop?" Sakura cleared her throat which got everyone's attention. "Since all of you are here… Kiko, Conan… why don't you guys do everything? I'm… supposed to do… something today." She said laughing nervously. _'A high Kiko plus a fanatic Conan add an ecstatic Ino equals danger… then again, a high Kiko plus a fanatic Conan add an ecstatic Ino minus Sakura… it equals safe.' _She slowly backed away then everyone looked at her with blank stares.

Sakura titled her head, "What?" she asked. Everyone was looking at her. "I said what?" Sakura was always an impatient one. "Girls… you know what to do…" Ino said, her bangs covering her face. Slowly, Temari and Tenten went forwards and grabbed each of her arms. They lifted her up and on a chair. Ino went over to her and grasped her hand. She inspected it, "Dirty nails… been putting your fist in the ground without the gloves I gave you." She said, it was true… the gloves were not at all a fashion sense.

Flashback…

_Sakura finished her exercises and sighed then looked at her hands. "Mou… problem with using your hands is that they get dirty…" she whined. The next day she went into a shop and went to the clothes section for gloves. She saw cute multicolor gloves, "Oh, those are nice!" she exclaimed, "Not with your outfit…" someone said. Sakura looked behind her to find Ino looking at her up and down then to the gloves. "These would work best." She said going over to the assorted gloves and picking out black leather one._

_Yup… that's how the black gloves came to be._

End Flashback.

Ino then kneeled down and looked at Sakura's legs, "Take your time while shaving… it helps avoid scars on your legs." There were tiny spots of brown on her silky legs showing that there was an injury there. She then pulled Sakura up and put her hands on Sakura's stomach from behind, "You lost weight… too much… no one likes a stick." She then grabbed Sakura's face, "Your lips are dry and you've got bags under your eyes… You haven't been sleeping or eating right." Ino said sighing, "What am I going to do with you?" she asked herself.

Sakura twitched, "What do you mean?" Ino looked at her like she was dumb, "What do you think I mean? I know, even if you're ANBU captain… you're in my domain now… and today… is re-make Sakura up day." She said evilly thinking about everything. Sakura was about to protest when Tenten spoke up, "She's right though… and look at those clothes… you wore those last week!" Tenten said. Temari looked at Sakura up and down, "Yeah… and those shoes was last year's model…"

"Yeah… and don't get me started on the colors!" Conan added in. "We're just worried about you health…" Hinata said trying to not let the volcano blow (Meaning Sakura's temper) Sakura looked at the once shy Hinata, because her boyfriend **is** Naruto… she's gotta be weird in some way. Even if she wasn't as shy.

"Thank you Hinata…" Sakura said sadly. Ino then finished rambling on by herself and turned to the group, "So… Sakura… let's start!" she said while grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door. Sakura refused and planted her heels in the ground, everyone else rolled their eyes and pushed her along…. even Hinata.

They dragged her to a very fancy shop called, 'Princess' which made Sakura implant her heels deeper into the ground. They forced her inside. "Hana!" Ino called out and a beautiful girl came up behind the counter. "Ah, Ino! My favorite girl! What can I do for you?" she asked sweetly. Ino sighed sarcastically, "Look at this!" she cried out and pulled Sakura into Hana's view. "Oh my… is she your friend?" Ino put her head down as if ashamed, "I'm afraid so." She said. "Hey!" Sakura cried out.

Hana thought then pushed a big red button to her right, then five girls with hair driers in their hands made everyone leave. Then the door automatically closed. Hana got the speaker, "This is an emergency… code red… we have a code red." She said through it and right away ten (beautiful) girls lined up each with different materials. "Girls… here's our target." She said pulling Sakura out into their view and they gasped in shock. "Hey!" Sakura exclaimed again.

They all then got evil looks in their eyes and charged at Sakura. They picked her up and dragged her to a room then slammed the door. "That… was awkward…" Temari remarked. "They're weird… are they your friends?" Tenten asked Ino. Ino put her head up, "They're not weird! They're the one who made me, me! They're the one who taught me everything that I know!" Ino said proudly while Hana wiped a tear from her eyes. The five other girls turned blue, "That… is not… good." They all said then imagined.

Sakura wearing what Ino usually wore with a bright grin on her face, and her hair in a high ponytail. (Which in this story… is impossible) Right away their eyes widened and they started panicking then in a second they were at the door Sakura was in yelling and banging, "Come back! Sakura!" they yelled continuously.

Ino raised an eyebrow, "Calm down you guys… I mean… what could happen?" then the door opened and out came sakura in a bath robe with her hair up in a very neat bun held up by a beautiful brown hair piece. She was wearing clogs while holing a towel in her hand. "What happened?" they all asked.

"Nothing…" she answered, "They took all this time to figure out which bath robe I should wear, the pink, green or blue one… they went on about it for thirty minutes until they finally made up their mind and chose white instead." Sakura said as her head dropped. The ten girls came out, "She's going to cleanse her body in our hot spring… do you want to join her?" they asked all at the same time. The girls nodded and got changed then relaxed in the spring.

When they finished the ten girls dragged Sakura back into the room again. They came out later and everyone's mouths dropped. Sakura was there with her long pink hair silky and shiny with a red jewel studded head band on. Her face turned back to her natural pale color; her eyes were shining brightly bag-free; her lips were pink with a little gloss onto it. She was wearing a pink v-neck tank top with a cherry blossom broach on it; the design on it was of a glittery flower. She wore red skorts and red ninja high heeled boots.

Sakura sighed at their faces, "Done gaping?" she asked and they all came to her and hugged in a group hug. "Alright… let's shop!" In the village you could see six girls running from shop to shop and every time 

carrying bigger bags. Then everyone in the village sweat-dropped when the girls were carrying a table lamp; and chairs; of course the bachelors seeing Sakura dressed like that offered to help her… and her only.

At the end of the day…

They were outside the rock which led into Sakura's mansion. Tenten took her bags from the boys which was three bags full of weapons and fabric. Ino took seven bags full of lingerie, shoes, and clothes and… _'Are those furry hand cuffs?!' _they all thought in their heads. Temari just took one bag because she was leaving tomorrow; the only things in it were a new shirt and a long skirt. Conan took three bags which were full of paper; make-up; silk; a few shoes and some hair pieces. As for Sakura she took the rest, eleven bags; three boxes and two wagons full of furniture.

They said their goodbyes and Conan and Sakura went inside. When Sakura got inside all the boys had a lustful look directed to her. Conan whistled and went up to her room leaving the hormone raged men to Sakura. Deidara jumped up and down, "Kawaii Sakura!" Sakura blushed a tiny bit, "Arigatou…" she said while taking off her coat which Sasori took from her and hung it up like a gentleman. Shikamaru had been dragged by Conan up to her room leaving Neji to gape at her. Itachi seeing the opening went over and stroked her hair, "Princess Sakura… how nice of you to come by."

He let his hand brush the side of her face and the room suddenly got hot, not because of the heat of the moment, but from the heat of smoke coming out the boys' ears. Neji decided that this would be the time to break them up, "Let me guess… you met Ino on the way…" Sakura blinked, "How did you know?" she asked sarcastically. He chuckled, "A few months ago when you were on a mission, Tenten came to training looking like a doll." Sakura smiled, "I should've seen that," Neji smirked, "You can… I got a picture… and also Hinata and Temari went through it too… Naruto had a nose bleed and fainted from seeing Hinata dressed like that and Kankuro covered his sister up with a cloak."

Sakura giggled, "That must've been a funny sight," then the moment was stopped when there was a knock at the door and Karin and Sasuke came down. Neji opened the door while Sakura handed them each their new clothes. "Hope you like 'em." She just said and went over to the ANBU. Sasuke looked at Sakura and something burned in him… a feeling that could never be erased by any drug. A girl was standing there; she had short brown hair and light brown eyes with a smile on her face, then the said girl gaped, "Sakura-sama!" she yelled and ran in almost running over Neji. "I can't believe it's really you!" she squealed and took both of Sakura's hands.

"It's nice to see the Princess of Konoha, finally! You are my idol! I know I'm just a beginner but I assure you that I am very responsible and won't let these two out of my sight!" she said while winking. She then left Sakura and inspected Sasuke and Karin, "Okay you two… let's go! Oh, by the way my name's Kisana… but people just call me Kisa for short!" she said while dragging Sasuke and Karin out the door, "I promise I'll keep watch over them!" and with that the door slammed in their faces. Everyone was quiet, "That was awkward…" Sakura blinked and looked at her hands.

In it was a note that Kisa slipped in between her hands while holding them. Sakura went up to her room and closed the door. She then opened the letter, it said…

_Dear Sakura-sama,_

_Hi it's Kisa, you are my idol. I don't know if you remember but you saved me and my teammates on one of my missions. Since then I've wanted to meet you again to say thank you. Anyways… I lied about me being a beginner. I have been an ANBU for about two years now and I heard from Hokage-sama that Karin tried to harm you… and for that I cannot forgive her. _

_Because of that I will make her stay with me a living hell. AS for Sasuke I know he's a very important person to you since he was your teammate so I will make sure that Karin and him stay away from each other and I will update you on everything once a week._

_Until then,_

_Kisa_

_P.S: It was Hokage-sama's idea._

Sakura ripped the paper up and burned it so nothing of that letter could be found as evidence. Sakura went downstairs to fix dinner when she smelled something in the air. She went down to the living room to find the boys making the table while Conan was cooking. "What's this?" Sakura asked. Itachi took her hand and kissed it, "You've had a rough day… and since you're already so beautiful… why not make it memorable?" he asked guiding her to a chair. Sasori poured some tea for her and she thanked him.

Half an hour later diner was ready and Deidara escorted Sakura to her seat at the dinner table. They all ate in peace; after they were finished suddenly Deidara took Sakura and put her on his back for a piggy-back ride to her room. She was surprised at first but then smiled. She bid them goodnight, took a quick shower, changed into her new pajamas and plopped onto her bed. Then she remembered, "The date with Neji's tomorrow…" she said quietly. **'Yup, he said he'd pick us up at ten sharp.' **Her inner said while turning her alarm clock on.

The night was fast… like every other night.

"She's an angel when she sleeps…" a man said. The person next to him nodded, "Are you sure you want this one, my Prince? There are princesses and noble woman much finer than this one… so why?" his servant asked him. "Because… she has something special about her… and I know that I can't live my life without knowing the real her… anyways… no one can resist my charm," At that last remark his servant sweat-dropped.

"Of course sire… but… I should still remind you that you are of royal blood." He said. "Of course and as the law states a Prince must marry a princess of royal blood… and so be it… we are… talking about the noble Princess of Konoha. A treasure beyond compare… a prize that any man wants in their arms." He said dreamily. "But… what about your mission?"

"It is my mission is to seduce the Princess of Konoha into joining us… she will be my queen…" he said while looking at himself in a mirror. His servant sweat-dropped and sighed, _'He doesn't know that the Princess of Konoha's the number one kunoichi and very strong… if he makes one wrong move…' _he shook his head, "He's toast…" the Prince looked to him, "What was that?" he asked, "No, nothing I said I like roast," he said. The Prince just nodded and continued looking at himself in the mirror he was holding.

His servant rolled his eyes, "He's hopeless…" he whispered.

"Before our arrival… we will test her." the said Prince said dreamily. "I want to know what she can really do… send out our best agents…" he said while taking a larger mirror from in the royal carriage and started brushing his hair and giving himself kisses."


	11. Cinderella

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Anyways, here's a little romance chapter for all NejixSakura fans! Thanx for the reviews and I hope I get more. The song titles will be named at the end of the chapter! XD

Fairy Tale: Cinderella

The next day was fairly calm. Sakura had woken up at 8:00 and Neji was picking her up at noon (a/n: sorry had to change the time.); took a bath then unwillingly let Konan choose her outfit for her. When Konan was done picking, Sakura had on a long dark blue skirt that went a few inches below her knees; a matching top which the sleeves just hung down loosely down her shoulders. Her hair was in a neat bun leaving some strands down to frame her face. Her shoes were high heeled 2-inches. Then to finish the look off a blue hairclip to keep her bangs away from hiding her eyes and a small purse.

Everyone's jaws dropped when they saw her descending down the stairway. Neji was there to grab a hold of her hand and led her out the door. When they got outside Neji blushed, "Blue suits you," he said looking at the ground. She smiled one of her rare warm smiles, "Thank you…" she said, "So… where are we going?" she asked.

"I thought the park would be a nice place to start," he said and she nodded, letting him lead her. When they got there they just sat on one of the many benches and sighed in comfort. "Tell me… can you sing?" he asked suddenly. She was surprised by the unexpected question, "I don't know… I mean… I've heard myself sing… but I don't know how others find it." She said truthfully.

"I can be the judge of that," he said while smirking. Right then a group of children came by and grinned. They went over to Sakura, "Sakura onee-chan!" they all yelled happily. "Hello…" she answered. Sakura's been a sisterly figure to all the children in Konoha. She not only treats ninjas but finds time in her busy day to help the children there, too. Neji thought of an idea, "Who wants to hear Sakura-chan sing?" he asked.

Sakura's mouth opened to protest when cries of, "Yeah!" echoed through the park, she was about to say no but then the children took their last option… they pouted and made their best puppy dog face. Sakura sighed in defeat and they all cheered. "Okay… so what would you like me to sing?" she asked the kids.

They all thought and shrugged, Sakura just laughed, she never used her cold face on children. With them… she became her old self… the cheerful, happy and bright Sakura Haruno. Neji loved this side of her and was the only one who saw this because it was only he who accompanied Sakura to visit the children of the hospital or at the orphanage.

"Alright…" she said thinking of a song that would please the children. She closed her eyes for a moment then when she opened them again, she started to sing…

(She's singing the part in bold; the one in italics is the meaning)

**Urunda hitomi no oku ni  
kawaranu kimi no sugata  
"doko made sekai wa tsudzuku no"  
todaeta hibi no kotoba  
**

_In the depths of my tear-filled eyes,  
Is your everlasting beauty.  
"How far does the world go?"  
Those words from our by gone days.  
_  
**Kogoeru arashi no yoru mo  
mada minu kimi e tsudzuku  
oshiete umi wataru kaze  
inori wa toki wo koeru**

_Even on those freezing, stormy nights,  
Though you are still out of sight, I continue on.  
Please tell me, ocean-crossing winds,  
That my prayers will pass through time._

Neji closed his eyes and relished in her beautiful voice.

**Kasunda chihei no mukou ni  
nemureru hoshi no souwa  
"akenai yoru wa nai yo" to  
ano hi no tsumi ga warau**

_Beyond the misty horizons,  
Stars are fabled to lie.  
"Dawn will surely follow every night."  
The sins of my past laughs.  
_  
The children all sighed in calmness and moved from side to side according to her rhythm.

**Furueru kimi wo dakiyose  
todokanu kokuu wo aogu  
kikoeru yami terasu kane  
kimi eto michi wa tooku  
**

_I try to embrace you trembling with uncertainty,  
But I look up at the empty sky beyond reach  
I hear the chime that illuminates darkness,  
Showing me that the path to you is still far.  
_  
The birds came down from the trees to sing with her.

**Kogoeru kaze no yoru mo  
mada minu kimi e tsudzuku  
oshiete umi wataru kaze  
inori wa toki wo koeru**  


_Even on those freezing, stormy nights,  
Though you are still out of sight, I continue on.  
Please tell me, ocean-crossing winds,  
That my prayers will pass through time._

**Kogoeru kaze no kaze mo  
mada minu kimi e tsudzuku  
oshiete umi wataru kaze  
inori wa toki wo koeru  
**  
_Even on those freezing, stormy nights,  
Though you are still out of sight, I continue on.  
Please tell me, ocean-crossing winds,  
That my prayers will pass through time_.

**Inori wa toki wo koeru**

The serenity of the moment never faded as the song's last rhythm came to an end. Everyone sighed in comfort. A minute later the kids started shouting and the passers who stopped during her performance applauded her. Then a little boy spoke up, "Will you give your boyfriend a kiss now? Because we can turn around… if you want to…" he said cutely. At that question Sakura and Neji both reddened, "N-no…" they both answered simultaneously.

The kids 'Aww-ed' in disappointment and Sakura just giggled, while Neji on the other hand didn't want to pass up on that idea and leaned towards her in a simple kiss on the cheek. The kids 'Yay-ed' and the adults 'Aww-ed' or said something along the lines of 'Ah, young love,'

Neji looked away while Sakura just gingerly touched her cheek. "Alright then you kids better get off home… your parents might get worried." They all nodded then went towards home… except for one little girl holding a doll. "What's wrong?" Sakura asked. She looked down, "I… I don't know… where the orphanage is…" she said sadly. Neji and Sakura looked at each other.

They walked with the little girl towards the orphanage, "I'm sorry Neji-kun... you probably had other plans right now…" Neji just smiled at her, "Its okay… and honestly… I didn't know what to do next… I've booked us to into a restaurant in an hour for dinner." He said carelessly, something you don't see everyday. When they got to the orphanage it was almost sunset.

"Arigatou… Sakura onee-chan… Neji nii-san…" the little girl thanked and went into the building. The couple smiled at each other for a successful trip and made their way down to the restaurant… unaware of the eyes that began to spy on them.

When they got to destination a waiter led them to a special reserved spot that Neji booked all for them. It was an amazing sight. They were outside totally calm from the people on the exterior. It was a garden full of beautiful tulips, lilacs and such. In the middle of it all stood a lone table lighted by two candles standing firmly contrasting the night sky and blending in with the stars.

They sat down face to face with Neji staring warmly at her. Right then Sakura's heart skipped a beat from the sight of him and unwillingly she reddened. Neji seeing the action just smiled, "You're a beautiful singer…" he complimented in a velvet voice. And once more her heart skipped a beat and she looked down towards her plate with salad. Neji then stood up over to a jukebox, pooped in a cassette and waited until a music played through the air. He went towards Sakura, "Would you… Princess Sakura… accord me to this dance." He said bowing down a little and holding his hand out for her to take. She stood up and took his hand. They waltzed over to a clearing surrounded by white roses.

He smiled at her and did the unthinkable… he started to sing…

**Do I love you because you're beautiful  
Or are you beautiful because I love you?  
**

His velvet voice rang through Sakura's head.

**Am I making believe I see in you  
A girl to lovely to be really true  
**

He spun her around and then took the chance to pull her tightly against him.

**Do I want you because you're wonderful  
Or are you wonderful because I want you?  
**

She started to feel light headed for some strange reason.

**Are you the sweet invention of a lovers dream  
Or are you really as beautiful as you seem?**

They looked into each others eyes and their faces began to move towards each other and right at that moment a chiming bell struck 10:00 and at that same moment a kunai went flying towards the couple right in between them so they had to separate. Sakura caught a glimpse of the once who threw it and ran towards him/her. Neji told her to wait but she had already gone… leaving… her shoe.

Neji chased Sakura all over Konoha until finally Sakura lost track of the person and she panted finally stopping. Neji soon appeared behind her also panting. "You shouldn't run like that…" he said, he held up his hand to show her, her shoe, "You might lose something…" he smirked. Sakura plopped down onto the bench. They were back at the park under the starry sky with only a street lamp a little ways away to light them.

Neji smiled and she just giggled sheepishly, then he looked at the shoe, back to her, then to her foot. He smirked then kneeled down, "May I?" he asked. She just held out her foot in response. He put it on her foot and slowly got up again meeting with her eyes. She defiantly stood up, her mind saying 'NO' but her body saying, 'GO'

He leaned down and she closed her eyes and their lips met in a short but powerful kiss. That was all that was needed for her to fall into darkness. He caught her body and smiled to himself and returned her back home.

The now known 'Prince' looked into the crystal ball, "She's fast… and what is she doing with another man?" he shouted. His servant sighed, "Sire… she may be out on a date." He just explained. "That does not mean he has the right to kiss her!" the Prince barked. His servant sweat-dropped, "Technically, he does." The Prince scowled, "I told that ninja to separate them… not to bring them closer together!" he barked. His servant shook his head, "Actually sire… you told him to test out Sakura's skills… not to-

His sentence was discontinued by the Prince's glare. The servant just sighed quietly in annoyance, "I will send out another one sire… do not worry."

The boys twitched in anger from the sight of Neji carrying Sakura in his arms protectively. Konan just smiled at their reaction, "Now, now boys… you'll eventually get your turn… soon enough." She added then skidded up to her room.

Anyways how was it? I hope you all tell me! Thanx again for reading!

First song: Inori (Japanese version of You Raise Me Up from Romeo x Juliet)

Second song: Do I love you Because You're Beautiful? (by Brandy from the musical Cinderella)


	12. Snow White

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… if I did Karin would be stabbed, killed, burned, and so much more! squeals

Thanks for the reviews and I hope I'll be getting more of them! This chapter is dedicated to all SasoSaku fans!

Fairy Tale: Snow White: More than you know…

Today it was Sasori's turn to take Sakura out on a date and again Sakura took a bath and Konan chose her outfit. Konan chose a long red skirt that ended an inch below her knees and a lighter shade of red for the tank top that had ruffles around the neck and a bow on its mid-back. Her shoes were pink ballet flats and her hair was down cascading down her back with a head band to keep it together. With that look she looked absolutely adorable.

Sasori was waiting patiently downstairs thinking over about the day and smirking when he imagined himself in the same position as Neji was yesterday. Sakura was still a little flushed from the kiss yesterday and embarrassed because she fainted; but she quickly dismissed it and looked forward to what Sasori had planned. It was noon again and Sasori kissed her hand on her way down the stairs and out the door.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked curiously. "You'll see…" he just answered. Sakura just sighed at his mysterious ways but just smiled. Sasori looked at her breath-taking smiled; he rarely got to see it when they were at home. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone who wasn't paying attention either, come across him and they bumped in each other.

Sasori looked down and the little boy looked up, "It's you…" they both whispered at the same time. It was the same little boy that he brought the teddy bear to. The little boy with shaggy brown hair grinned, "Sasori nii-san!" he squealed and hugged Sasori's leg which took him by surprise. Sakura at the sight just couldn't help but laugh out loud. Sasori looked over to the laughing girl. Her laughter was music to his ears; it had a nice ring in her voice… soft… and warm.

While he was daydreaming… it seemed like the little boy went away then returned with six other people. They all stood in a horizontal line in front of the couple. The previous little boy grinned again and made presentations, "My name's Ryou!" he said. "And these are Dave, Will, Fuko, Seiichi, Sasame and Aron." He said presenting all of them.

Dave was sort of shy because he hid behind his companions. Will seemed smart; he was wearing glasses and looked intelligent. As for Fuko… he can't stop sneezing for some odd reason. Seiichi's look was that he was crossing his arms and frowning like he didn't like being here, Sasame seemed like he would fall down at any second because he looked sleepy; Aron smiled a toothy grin and giggled a lot and Ryou was always smiling… but not an extent of jumping around the place unlike Hajime who can't seem to keep still.

"And together we are the Band of Seven D.W.A.R.F.S.S" they all said and posed. Sakura just smiled at them and Sasori just stayed quiet. "Is he your boyfriend?" Aron asked, Sasori blushed and Sakura answered, "Oh… no, no… he's one of my best friends… that's all." She smiled at all of them. "Sasori nii-san… do you like Sakura onee-chan?" Fuko asked before sneezing. Sasori smiled at that question, "More than she knows," he whispered just enough for only them to hear and Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Alright… Sasori and I must be going now…" Sakura said giving them each a kiss on the forehead and they reddened. They went their way after that leaving the boys grinning from ear to ear goofily. "You have a way with children…" he commented, "Yeah… I love them…" she answered, Sasori thought about that, "You wish… to have children?" she blushed at that question, "Well… yes… actually, I wish for a lot of things… people just don't know them." Sasori got a good idea from that but just kept it to himself.

They went over to a little bar to get a quick drink before going to dinner. Sakura ordered a soda while Sasori had tea, "Tea? In summer?" she asked. He shrugged, "I don't like the cold… I prefer… warm… soft… things," all the while he was saying that he was looking at her lips. He smiled at her and her heart beat faster for a moment… just a moment. "Let's play a game," he said suddenly and her heart slowed down a notch.

"What kind of game?" he smirked, "Give me your hand," he said and she complied. "Alright… now… you say one embarrassing thing that you did… then I say one." Sakura smiled, "You're so childish, but why hold hands?" she exclaimed. He flashed a smile, "That's the way I am and because, a person's heart beats faster when they're lying!" he winked and again her heart beat faster than it normally should. "Alright… I'll go first…"

Sakura thought, "Well… my most embarrassing moment… was probably… three years ago… I was in a meeting with the elders about the Akatsuki because I accompanied Tsunade shishou… and the night before I didn't sleep well and I found myself drifting off. Without knowing it someone was calling my name and well… I was so surprised that I jumped up and hung onto the nearest ANBU next to me. I was so much in trouble after that." They both laughed, "Now… it's your turn." She said as he was playing with her hand.

"My most embarrassing moment… was when I was on mission with Deidara. We were out to scout out some intruders nearby the base. When we found the intruders… they were just a couple of drunken men. Two to be exact… and well… they were so drunk that they thought that we were…" then he mumbled the last part. Sakura smirked, "That you were?" she pressed. "That we were… girls… and well… they hit on us." By now Sakura was laughing. "Really?"

He nodded, "At least I had the one who was sane… the one Deidara got… he said some things and done some stuff that made Deidara scream and run for it. He didn't come out of his room for a week!" they started laughing really hard, "Poor Dei-kun," she said while wiping a tear from her eyes. "That must've been Deidara's worst moment."

A few minutes after they left and headed for a restaurant. It was small, but cozy, with cabins for privacy and a good mood set just right. Sasori stopped laughing at a joke he told, "I heard… that you can sing," he said while smirking.

Sakura opened her mouth, "Neji…" she said, and he just nodded curtly. "Sing me something…" he requested. "Any preference?" she asked after much pouting. "Well… I have a soft spot for… ballads." He requested. "Alright… a ballad…" she complied.

**ame ni nureta hoho wa**

**namida no nioi ga shita**

**yasashii manazashi no**

**tabibito**

**The faint scent of tears**

**On my rain soaked cheeks**

**The warm look on the face**

**Of travelers**

**shizuka ni hibiiteru**

**natsukashii ongaku**

**omoidasenai kioku**

**samayou**

**The music from our childhood**

**Faintly echoes in the background**

**The memories I hopelessly try to remember**

**Wander aimlessly**

**yume wa tobitatsu no chiisana tsubasa de**

**omoi no kienai basho made**

**futari de**

**tooi umi wo sora wo koete**

**But with these tiny wings, launched by my dreams**

**Over distant oceans and skies**

**We'll soar together**

**To a place where memories never fade**

**kurai yoru no naka de**

**watashi wo terashiteru**

**yasashii manazashi no**

**anata ni**

**aitai...**

**You light up the way for me**

**In the darkness of night**

**Oh, that warm look**

**On your face**

**I miss you so much**

Sakura finished the song with grace. Sasori opened his eyes, "Well, the rumor was true after all." He said smiling at her, she just smiled back. "Thanks for the accolades," she said. They ate dinner peacefully enjoying each other's presence, laughing and talking. Until… dessert came.

"Ice cream… you are such a kid." She said taking in the look of the extravagant strawberry ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. "That's me, whether you like it or… you love it." He said while smirking. "Do you?" he leaned more over table. "It's for you to tell me…" she also leaned over the table and they were inches apart when… again, a kunai went flying in between them separating the moment that was to come.

"Not again," she mumbled; reached into her shirt and took out a shuriken. She threw it at the attacker but it missed. So being the never-gonna-give-up kind of girl she couldn't help but run after him and 

being her date Sasori had to follow. Once again they ran all over Konoha until… once again, Sakura found herself near a body of water with a huge crater in front of her.

She took a deep breath and lied down on a particular rock that was carved to be some sort of table. There she waited for Sasori, she laid down the rock . A few minutes later Sasori came and looked at her position and he got an idea. He crept next to her, reached in his pocket, took a spoonful of it and ran the spoon over Sakura's cheeks. She shot up as she if she were electrocuted. "What the hell Sasori?!" she shouted. Then her mouth hung open when he went up to her cheeks and licked it off.

She gasped and looked at him, shocked to say the least; actually, it was an understatement. He just chuckled at her reaction and reached for the little spoon again, this time Sakura saw what it was, "You brought the ice cream?" she asked. He shrugged, "There were no more whipped cream so I improvised." Her mouth again hung open then closed instantly when the cold substance traced over her lips. "Oops… I missed your cheek… well… no matter." He said as he put his lips onto hers.

She knew that was going to happen but she was shocked anyways. They pulled apart a minute later in need of air. "Okay…" she said while getting up away from him. Seeing that he thought he did something wrong, "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean for it to go that far," she sighed, "Its' alright… I believe you… but next time… bring some strawberry… vanilla leaves a weird aftertaste to me," she said while smirking. "Is there going to be a next time?"

Then at that question Sakura got back into her mind, _'What am I doing?' _she asked franticly. **"You, my dear are falling for Neji and Sasori… and you're liking the fact!" **her inner snickered. _'I… I can't, no… I don't want to,' _she began to panic and her breathing became rugged. "Sakura? Are you okay, is something wrong?" Sakura looked away, "I'm sorry," she said before running away.

She ran away from him, _'Yes… I run away from my troubles… I just can't fall in love.' _She persuaded herself, **'Why not?' **her inner asked. _'Because… I'm not ready… I don't want to… I'm… scared.' _She thought sadly. **'Scared of what?' **her inner pressed but no answer was given when suddenly in front of her a young and beautiful woman appeared. "My dear… you look… sad." She said with a glamorous smile. "Why don't you… take an apple?" she asked evilly.

Sakura shook her head, "No thank you… I'm fine." She said moving a step back. The woman shook her head slowly, "You're suffering… aren't you?" she held out her hand and caressed Sakura's face, "But…" she reached into her pocket and held her hand out. "I could make it all disappear… your worries… your troubles… you can go to a place… where none of that exists." She said. "I'm sorry… but no." Sakura answered again.

The lady narrowed her eyes almost dangerously, "Take it!" she pressed on and shoved the apple into Sakura's hands before disappearing. Sakura just looked at the apple, "Looks like déjà vu to me…" she mumbled quietly. **'It might be dangerous…' **her inner warned. Sakura nodded her head in agreement. But something deep down in her mind wanted it, she wanted to disappear. **"Helooo? Earth to Sakura? I know what you are thinking and believe me girl, which is NOT a good idea! What if it's poisoned? Ever heard of Snow White and the cursed apple?!" **her inner yelled some sense into her but the real Sakura was not even paying attention.

"Sakura?" came the voice of Sasori behind her; she turned and saw the face of someone who was feeling guilty and worried. "I'm sorry, it's- "No, it's not your fault…" she said looking down at the apple 

in her hand. "Sakura?" he asked again, she put on a fake smile, just like the smile Sai would show to the world. "I'm sorry," she said as she crushed the apple in her hands and the substance inside was a disgusting color of purple. "That apple…" he muttered almost dangerously.

"It's fine… really… why don't we just…" Sasori looked down and approached her. He took her hand in his, "Sakura… I really am in love with you… I mean… you're the one who delivered me into the light, and because of that…" He whispered to her as he pulled her into a hug, but Sakura's finger put a stop to his sweet words, "Sasori… think before you act… you may think you're in love with me… but is it really true?" she said as they walked through the park, "as true as your beauty is…" he said to her and before they went into the rock door he gave her a gently kiss. "I love you… more than you know." Then in a far off distance he could hear a, "SASUKE!"

(Me: So this was called, Snow White: More than you know…

Sasori: flying around the house on cloud 9 I kissed her… wait a minute… that was my first kiss!

Me: and you just realized that now? disbelief

Sasori: Umm… yeah… slow, right?

Me: I should think so… nodding slowly

Sasori: anyways… that was the best day of my life!

Me: glad you liked it… pats him on the head

Sasori: any more romantic scenes? He asked excitedly.

Me: yes… with Itachi, Deidara… and mumbles

Sasori: What was that?

Me: Nothing!

Sasori: Tell me!!

Me: All I can tell you is that there will be two other surprise dates for Sakura.

Sasori: WHAT?

Me: Anyways… just for the pleasure of it… a little scene… from Kisa's Hell House! Presented by Kisa!)

Kisa running up onto screen with a microphone, "Alright, today's episode will be called, "Bombs Away!" she said as she walked around her house. "So, here we have our guinea pig!" she squealed as Karin came onto a screen next to her and Sasuke following like a lost puppy behind her. "First of all, we need our ingredients for Kisa's Hell House Bomb Edition."

She searched through a box, "First you will need safety goggles and rubber gloves, as I always say, safety comes first!" she said as she put on the equipment, "Now, to make a homemade bomd, first you will need some chemicals, but nuclear chemicals work best. Anyways, just find a plastic sphere anywhere then mix the ingredients together inside the plastic carefully, making sure to separate each chemical with a 2 millimeter wooden plank."

"Make sure not to move it too much, because when the wood breaks and the chemicals merge together, it will create a toxic gas and an explosion! But what am I babbling about? Let's just show you!" she said as she went to a bigger screen. "So, you will carefully put the bomb on top of a doorway and wait until the person passes by."

Karin was walking towards the kitchen door with Sasuke in a daze a foot behind her wearing a gas mask, "Sasuke-poo! Why are you wearing that horrible thing?!" she squealed as she opened the door and, 'BOOM' the homemade bomb made contact with the floor breaking the wooden slates inside and 

caused the chemicals to react to each other. Karin screamed, "Sasuke!" but… Sasuke was taken away by Ino and Tenten (with gas masks) away from the scene and instead put… someone.

Karin was now all smoky with the ends of her now black hair standing on ends, and scratched on her skin. Her glasses broke and she closed her eyes because some of the glass went into her eyes, "Sasuke! Come here and help me!" she screamed, hearing no answer she decided to feel for his presence and finally squealed out in joy when she grabbed… someone's… clothing. "Sasuke!" she squealed then kissed him on the mouth… then she tasted something weird… sake.

She picked up her broken glasses, rubbed her eyes and put them on, she squinted for a while before seeing the picture… and… she screamed, "SASUKE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Indeed even if she did that… it was not Sasuke she was just kissing… instead it was an old drunk man with no teeth, bad breath… and... was smiling goofily at her.

"If you want be babe… come and get me!" he yelled then coughed, Karin screamed, "Aah! Sasuke! Where are you?" she screamed as she ran all over the house running away from the man.

"Come on baby, give daddy a look-see!" he yelled at her. In Sakura's mansion… Deidara was reading a book when a shiver went down his spine, "Mommy! No! Not him! Of all people!" he yelled while running to his room and locking the door, "He's come baaaack!" he yelled.

Kisa's back on screen, "And that's it for today kids! And remember, Revenge is Sweet! And don't forget to review! And stay in tuned for the next episode of Kisa's Hell House!" she said as loud applauding sounds came from the backround.

(Please note that you may NOT do this experiment at home, MoonlightShadowMaiden is not responsible of burns, blindness or irritated skin… if it does… it's your own fault sucker! LOL)

I hope you all liked the chapter, and if anyone has any… ahem… suggestions for next time's Kisa's Hell House, tell me… and please no killing or murder because that wouldn't be fun (That means you VampireBassist… and by the way… love your ideas! XD)


	13. Frog Prince and Little Mermaid

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

So, this time it's Deidara and Sakura and Itachi and Sakura! The song titles will be posted at the end of the chapter! Please Review!

Fairy Tale: The Frog Prince

"Dei-dei! You ready?" Sakura called from upstairs. "Yeah, un, come down!" he yelled back. Sakura came down with another Konan original outfit, a dark yellow tank top with a light shawl that went gracefully around her shoulders and down her arms, her skirt had shorts inside it since the skirt was only… ahem… quote 'It's only 6 inches long!' Although at the time when that sentence was pronounced from Sakura's mouth all guy's stare was fixed upstairs where Deidara and Sakura were talking while walking down the hall. The guys yes… they thought wrong and assumed wrong and wanted to poke out Deidara's eyes.

They left with a slam of the door after Deidara pushed Sakura out the door impatient for their date… ahem… friendly outing.

"What was that for?" she asked, playfully glaring at him, He just smiled, "The air is better right after noon." Sakura raised an eyebrow, "The air? Oh, no! I'm not going up there… you know how I hate heights!" she exclaimed. Deidara pouted, "Pwease? Just this wounce?" he made a puppy dog face, "No and no." was her answer shutting her eyes tightly to avoid looking into those cute little beady eyes of his. While she was doing that his hands were doing all the work of making their… 'Ride'.

He smirked evilly and blew on his masterpiece which caused smoke, and the sudden smoke making Sakura cough and while Sakura was coughing Deidara picked her up, put her on the bird and flew away. "You little…" she began then got her senses back when she noticed they were up really high… and that they were out of the village. "Deidara… you know you're not supposed to leave the village." He pouted, "But I can… with a chaperone…" he said slyly. "No, bring us back," Sakura said crossing her arms. Deidara stuck his bottom lip out and caressed his cheek to hers which made her blush. "Please…"

When she didn't respond he went to plan B, knowing that she would disagree with his plans. "Please," he said cutely again this time taking her other cheek in his (gloved) hand, he turned slightly so his kissed her cheek, Sakura's eyes widened, "Deidara… stop it…" she said. He smiled, "Nope… not until you agree…" he said in a sing song voice and pushed her down and started tickling her, "No Deidara stop!"

With the unknown Prince, "What is he doing to MY fiancée?! He's practically forcing her!" he screamed, "Sire… the ninja will break them apart…" his servant sighed, The Prince who was still fuming sat down, "But I don't wanna wait for her to be mine…" he said like a five year old. His servant just sighed, "Why did I agree to babysitting this big baby?" he asked himself quietly, "What did you say?" the Prince asked. "I said, the foxes around here must have rabies, sire!" he said, "Oh…"

Sakura was holding her laughter inside, "Fine… just this once…" she said and he stopped.

**I can show you the world  
Shining, shimmering, splendid  
Tell me, princess, now when did  
You last let your heart decide?**

**I can open your eyes  
Take you wonder by wonder  
Over, sideways and under  
On a magic carpet ride**

A whole new world  
A new fantastic point of view  
No one to tell us no  
Or where to go  
Or say we're only dreaming

A whole new world  
A dazzling place I never knew  
But when I'm way up here  
It's crystal clear  
That now I'm in a whole new world with you  
Now I'm in a whole new world with you

Unbelievable sights  
Indescribable feeling  
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling  
Through an endless diamond sky

A whole new world  
Don't you dare close your eyes  
A hundred thousand things to see  
Hold your breath - it gets better  
I'm like a shooting star  
I've come so far  
I can't go back to where I used to be

A whole new world  
Every turn a surprise  
With new horizons to pursue  
Every moment red-letter  
I'll chase them anywhere  
There's time to spare  
Let me share this whole new world with you

A whole new world  
That's where we'll be  
A thrilling chase  
A wondrous place  
For you and me

Almost hesitantly he remove his hands from her when yes… sigh… a kunai came in between them, a moment too long and it would've hit Deidara straight in the head!

Sakura groaned, "Why does this happen to me?" she asked herself. Deidara looked at her then glared holes into the person who made her sad. He threw three bombs at the masked guy that was flying using a parachute. It hit him, but before he crashed he shot something up into the air which exploded in 

Deidara's face… and suddenly… Deidara felt wheezy. "I… wanna take a nap…" he said as he fell from the bird and a poof was to be heard where he landed into a marshland.

"Deidara!" Sakura yelled looking over to where he fell and motioned for the bird to follow her hand. The bird obliged and then poof-ed away after they landed. Sakura looked around her, "Deidara?" she asked. She heard croaking… a lot of it. She looked at her feet and guess what? Frogs were dancing around her, one specifically jumped around high near her legs. He had… very peculiar blue eyes. "Dei…dara?" Sakura asked almost afraid. It nodded viciously, she picked it up, "Oh, you poor thing…" she said as she pursed her lips together to keep from laughing out loud. Deidara cocked his head to the side, Sakura looked away, took a deep breath and turned back to him, "You are very… careless, Mr.Toad." she said as he pouted.

"Now… how to bring your old appearance back?" she asked and started doing some hand seals… but nothing worked. She sighed, "What can we do now? The boys will laugh their heads off if they see you this way…" Deidara nodded sadly. "Oh, don't be sad… you know you're one of the only ones who can make me laugh this much." She said while caressing his face. Deidara's eyes became teary and he suddenly jumped and kissed her. Her eyes widened and there was another poof and Deidara was back to his old self.

He cried, "I don't wanna be a frog for the rest of my days! If I am… I won't be able to make Sakura happy anymore!" he wailed, Sakura was touched that he would care so much. "Let's go home shall we?" she asked. He looked up at her, since he had his arms around her waist and his head in her stomach. "Deidara calm down, since our date's not over yet… we'll have a picnic at home." His eyes lightened up but the tears wouldn't stop, 'Why are you still crying?" she asked.

"Because… because.., I thought I might lose you if I was a frog…" he said sadly. "Alright, let's go." She said… but he didn't wanna let go. "Deidara?" she asked but he kept his face buried in her stomach, "Fine, be that way," she said as she transported themselves back home. When they got home, Sakura was still kneeling on the ground with Deidara still wrapped around her, "Deidara… let go now… we're back." He didn't answer. "Deidara, I mean it." She said as she tried to pry him off, "Deidara!" she yelled. The boys decided to help her out. They pulled but that made Deidara wail and hold on tighter, "I don't wanna!" he yelled. Sakura motioned for Shikamaru to come over, she whispered something in his ear, and he just raised an eyebrow but went to get 'it'. He came back with a frog in his hands, Sakura smiled gratefully and took the frog and put it in front of his face. Deidara stopped all movement, he paled, "NO!! Not frogs!" he said as he ran to his room and locked the door.

Everyone looked at Sakura for some answers, "He got turned into a frog, long story." Neji raised an eyebrow, "Does it by any chance… have something to do with…" Sakura nodded and Neji and Sasori grimaced.

Sakura came up to Deidara's room with a picnic basket, "Dei-kun, it's me," she called out, there was an eerie silence until the door opened quickly, he pulled her in and shut it then locked it. "Deidara… it was just a joke." She said as she looked around the room with clay everywhere. They set up the picnic and they started eating in silence. Sakura not liking that he wasn't talking leaned over, "Deidara? You okay?" he just nodded and kept on eating. Sakura was feeling guilty…

**Shiroku togireta yume no kirehashi wo tsukamaete**

**Shounen wa hashiru**

**Te wo hanashitara dokomademo tooku kaze no ne ni kieteyuku**

**Grasping the white scraps of an interrupted dream**

**A boy runs**

**When he lets go, they disappear into the distant sound of **

**the wind**

**Hitotsudake no Omoi wo tobashite**

**Making just one thought fly**

**Mabuta no ura ni egaki hajimeta e wa kasunde**

**Tenohira de kosuttemo**

**Itsuka mieta yasashisa wa mou nai**

**Hitori fumidasu ashidake miteru**

**The picture painted on the insides of my eyelids grows hazy**

**Even if I rub them with my palms**

**The kindness I could once see is now gone**

**I just look at my feet, stepping forward alone**

**Asa ni wa kieta ano utagoe wo itsumademo kiiteta**

**I listened to the singing until it disappeared when morning came**

**Nomichi no saki de akaku naru houzuki segande kodomo ga hashaideru**

**Itsuka shitta yasashisa no naka ni mo**

**Onaji fuukei Arunara ii ne**

**Disturbing the Chinese lanterns that bloom red on the trail, the children frolic**

**It would be nice if the scenery were the same**

**In the kindness that I once knew**

**Asani wa kieta ano utagoe wo itsumademo kiiteta**

**Bokura ga nokoshita ano ashiato wo itsumademo otteta**

**I listened to the singing until it disappeared when morning came**

**I followed the footprints we'd left behind into the distance**

**Asa ni wa kieta ano utagoe wo itsumademo itsumademo**

**Bokura ga nokoshita ano ashiato wo dokomademo otteta**

**Sou owari wa wakare to aru mono dakara Subete oiteyuku**

**Asa ni wa hizashi no naka Atarashii uta, Kuchizusanderu**

**I always, always listened to the singing that disappeared**

**I followed the footprints that we'd left everywhere**

**Yes, because endings come with partings, I'm leaving everything behind**

**I'm humming a new song in the morning sun's rays**

Deidara smiled and hugged her, this time she let him and returned the hug.

(me: So that was The Frog Prince. It was a little short so I decided to put in another one.)

Fairy Tale: The Little Mermaid

"I'm sorry you had to do this," he said quietly as they were relaxing in one of the 'Hana' with clear grassland, sitting softly in the cool grazing. "It's fine; really… your health is more important than anything." Sakura answered back. Itachi relaxed in her touch, she was fixing his eyes so he wouldn't go blind. "Just make sure not to use it anymore." She said softly as she massaged his temples while he was laying his head on her lap.

"Yes…" he answered. Sakura smiled a bit, "Alright… I think that's it…" she said as she was getting up, but his arms wrapped around her waist. "Let's stay here a while…" he said with his eyes closed. It was a habit that whenever she was with Itachi, she would run her hands in his hair. "I love you," he said after a moment of silence. She giggled, "I know that… you've told that to me a million times before." She said. He caressed her cheek, "And every time I say it, it makes me love you more." He smiled. She put her forehead on his, "Why? Why do you love me?" she asked.

He thought about it for a minute, "You are the most amazing girl… no… woman, I have ever met. You're the only one that could heal my pain… not just my physical pain… but my emotional pain as well… just like you did my brother's." he said looking into her eyes. "Itachi… I mean… like you too… like the others… 

like a brother… look at the age difference, don't you ever think about that?" he shook his head lightly, "Love has no age or time… and as long as you're by my side… I will be happy for the rest of my life."

"Stop trying to sweet talk me," she warned playfully. "Well, does it work?" he asked smirking. She smirked right back, "I don't know…" she said as she got up and went over to the next rock. "Coming or what? I know a place where your eyes might feel better." She said and he followed her like a puppy. They came to a body of water, "It's a healing spring," she reached for a pill from her lilac colored skirt and handed it to him. After he ate it she began undressing leaving her in her bra and underwear, "Come on," she urged. He was practically drooling over her body but stopped himself in time and undressed (O.o wow!) She blushed then took his hand and they jumped in.

She didn't transform into a mermaid this time and just swam around with him. He just looked at her playfully and smiled, "You love the water don't you?" he asked, "Yes… its pure." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Like you… so pure… so fragile," he whispered in her ears then he chuckled, "You make me so confused Sakura." Sakura cocked her head in question, "How so?" she said facing him. "How can there be a goddess like you on this earth? How can you be so wonderful, so beautiful… you are a true mystery Haruno Sakura."

She giggled, "Why are you not in Heaven instead of this demon filled world? Your hands should not be stained with blood; your face should be smiling, smiling at me…" he whispered.

**kanashii hodo hikaridashita shiroi yami kirisaku tsubasa ni nare**

**Become as wings that outshine your sadness, cutting through the white darkness**

**tsumetai taiyou ni terasarete'ta**

**kainarasareta jiyuu ga atta**

**kagami ni utsutta kiseki no yoru**

**MASUKU o hazushihajimeta My Soul**

**Illuminated by the cold sun**

**I had some tame freedom**

**On the miraculous night reflected in the mirror**

**My soul began to remove its mask**

**kuzurete yuku kabe no mukou wa**

**zetsubou mo kibou mo onaji kao suru**

**mitasarenai kokoro aru nara**

**tobitateru shuumatsu no PUROROOGU e**

**On the other side of the crumbling wall**

**Despair and hope wear the same face**

**If your heart is not satisfied**

**Head towards the ending prologue that flies away...**

**yaiba no you na kaze fuku sekai**

**mamorubeki mono wa nan na no ka?**

**hitotsu hitotsu itami o shiru tabi**

**hontou no jibun e to chikadzuku**

**In this world where the wind blows like a knife**

**What is it that I should protect?**

**In this journey where I know one pain after another**

**I draw closer to my true self**

**kieyuku Fake Light**

**umareyuku True Light**

**kono te ni...**

**The fake light that is disappearing**

**The true light that is being born**

**In these hands...**

**shiroku somaru yami tsukinukete**

**atarashii jidai o kizamitsudzukero**

**tokihanashita kokoro no mama ni**

**hateshinaku tsudzuite'ku byakuya o tobe**

**Pierce through the white-dyed night**

**Go on creating a new era**

**With a heart that's been released**

**Fly through the endlessly continuing white night 1**

"Suki…" he whispered as they swam through the cooling waters. They came to a beautiful coral reef, "It's magnificent," she said quietly, "Not as magnificent as you," Sakura made a face, "Stop that," he raised his eyebrow, "Stop what?" he asked, "That," she answered, "What?" he said getting closer to her, "Stop… going around… in circles…" she said a little dizzy. "Sakura, are you okay?' he asked very 

concerned. _'No… not now,' _she screamed in her head, **'It's normal, you can't stay underwater in your human form very long before you get weary.' **Her inner explained as a matter-of-factly.

"Yeah…" she answered out loud. "Sakura?" she turned to him, "promise me you won't tell the others," she said to him. He blinked in confusion, "Tell the others what?" but he couldn't think anymore when she transformed into a mermaid. "This," she said as she swished her tail in front of him. "You're a mermaid… anything else you might want to tell me while you're at it like… let's say you're a fairy?" he asked astonished.

She laughed, "No, no more surprises, the only other person that knows is," Itachi sighed, 'Let me guess, Sasuke." She nodded. "I don't care really…" he pressed his body to hers, "You're you… and that's all that matters," he said as he quickly kissed her passionately. Sakura just closed her eyes, why? Because she was afraid at first. Most people when they see a mermaid they scream or don't believe. Some… have heard of the legend that if you eat a mermaid's flesh, you will be immortal, kind of like the legend if you eat a dragon, same results, less effort.

That was why the mermaids hid themselves. So why was she scared to show Itachi? She grew angry at herself for doubting him and to apologize she kissed back. _'At least there are no interruptions here,' _she stated in her mind. Her inner nodded her head slowly, **'Shannaro! If anyone dares to break up this moment I will kill them!' **her inner yelled angrily. _'You have anger control problems,' _

'**So? What's your point?' **her inner said turning her back away, _'That was my point…' _her inner stuck her tongue out, **'Who cares? Anyways… Itachi can really kiss! Mmm… sweet.' **Her inner said as she melted into the kiss, _'Pervert,'_

They pulled away which was like, five minutes after they could have gone on for hours since they didn't need to breathe air. He smiled cutely at her, "My princess… shall we go?" he asked like a gentleman and they went on a picnic under the moonlight.

She started to sing a song for him…

**anata no kawari ni sora naite ita nara**

**watashi wa umi ni natte dakishimeru kara**

**arashi ni nomikomarete chizu nakushita to shite mo**

**anata no senaka ga ima no watashi no michishirube yo**

**if the sky was crying for you**

**I'll turn into a sea and embrace it**

**even if we're swallowed by the storm and lose our map**

**your back is the signpost for me now**

**tsuki to taiyou mitai hanarete ite mo **

**chikazuite ite mo hikari wo uketomeru**

**kyori de ite ne**

**like the moon and sun, even when near or far**

**please be close enough to capture my light**

**smile smile**

**itsumo mite ite zutto mite ite donna toki mo**

**smile smile**

**shinjite itai kanjite itai itsumade mo**

**smile smile**

**ureshii asa mo kanashii yoru mo wakachi aeru**

**egao wasurenai yo**

**I cannot live without you forever**

**smile smile **

**watch me always, watch me forever whenever**

**smile smile **

**want to believe, want to feel it forever**

**smile smile **

**being able to understand happy mornings and sad nights**

**I won't forget to smile**

**I cannot live without you forever**

**N to S jishaku mitai itsuka kizukeba**

**hikare ai atarimae no you na sonzai**

**tomaranai dare mo shiranai himitsu no tokei no you**

**onnaji mojiban no ue futari susunde yuku yo**

**N and S, like magnets, when we notice someday**

**we'll be pulled together as if that was ordinary**

**like that secret, unstoping clock that noone knows**

**the two continues to move on the same face**

**se no takai anata no hari watashi yume miru**

**chiisana hari ga nandomo kasanatte**

**ai wo kizamu**

**I dream about your long hand**

**the small hand overlaps to deepen the love**

**smile smile**

**itsumo mite ite zutto mite ite donna toki mo**

**smile smile**

**shinjite itai kanjite itai itsumade mo**

**smile smile**

**ureshii asa mo kanashii yoru mo wakachi aeru**

**egao wasurenai yo**

**I cannot live without you forever**

**smile smile **

**watch me always, watch me forever whenever**

**smile smile**

**want to believe, want to feel it forever**

**smile smile **

**being able to understand happy mornings and sad nights**

**I won't forget to smile**

**I cannot live without you forever**

**smile smile**

**itsumo mite ite zutto mite ite donna toki mo**

**smile smile**

**shinjite itai kanjite itai itsumade mo**

**smile smile**

**ureshii asa mo kanashii yoru mo wakachi aeru**

**egao wasurenai yo**

**I cannot live without you forever**

**smile smile **

**watch me always, watch me forever whenever**

**smile smile **

**want to believe, want to feel it forever**

**smile smile **

**being able to understand happy mornings and sad nights**

**I won't forget to smile**

**I cannot live without you forever**

(Me: sigh… lucky…

Sakura: sighs, I know…

Me: So… just a quick question… do you love Itachi? Cause… I don't believe that crap about apologizing, I mean, it's believable… but yet not so believable.

Sakura: My inner took over… if took over sooner that would've never happened.

Me and inner Sakura: Yeah right!

Sakura: What?

Inner Sakura: snickers… if **I** wasn't there to control **you**, you would have been doing more than just kissing.

Me: Oh really?

Inner Sakura: Yeah… you wrote it no?

Me: oh yeah… I did…

Inner Sakura: sighs at my stupidity)

"Alright everybody, it's time to rumble! Today's episode is presented by Kisa, guest star Inner Sakura!" I yelled and everyone cheered. Kisa and Inner Sakura runs on stage, "What up everyone and welcome to Kisa's Hell House!" Inner Sakura grins wickedly, "Shannaro! Today we'll be using some… techniques from the fic." She smiles evilly. Kisa sweat-drops, "Yes, well, here's to make the Frog-a-licious-Dinner!" she yelled out.

"So first you'll need some, yes, frogs, you put them in a cauldron with boiling goo, add some pepper, a dash of salt, and for those who like carrots!" Inner Sakura putting the ingredients in… then dropped something else in, too. Kisa gulped, "Anyways, to the lab rat!" A big screen T.V showed up behind them. "So, how will this work? Well, you see, the frog contained in the potion has to be eaten." She explained.

Karin and Sasuke were in the dining room, Sasuke just cooked pasta… but… Hinata sneaked in and replaced it with the frog goo. "Sasuke, aren't you going to eat?" she asked sweetly, he shook his head.

Flashback, before dinner

_Sasuke was making the pasta and all of a sudden he was tackled by Tsunade who easily pinned him down with the extra… umm… how should I put this… weight. She shoved something into his mouth that would stop his hunger for a couple hours._

End Flashback

Karin sighed and took a bite out it. Normally, people would throw up necasue of the disgusting taste… but Karin was not normal. "Mmm, what is this it's delicious!" Innner Sakura made a face, "That's frog pee!" she yelled and Kisa paled and ran into the nearest bathroom. Inner Sakura turned green because Karin took another bite out of it and she ran to the second bathroom.

A few minutes later… Karin was going to thank Sasuke… but instead a croak came out of her throat. She held her neck then she felt… small. It looked around herself then screamed and ran… correction… hopped around the table where she landed with a poof into the jell-o. She tried to squirm out of it with no avail then suddenly a fly passed by and she caught it and ate it, right then she turned back into a human and started chocking on the fly then accidentally swallowed.

Back to Inner Sakura and Kisa who were laughing their asses off, "She ate a fly!" they cackled. The audience laughed too then stopped after a while, but Kisa and Inner Sakura still laughed. The audience sweat-dropped and saving the day, Shizune came on, "Thank you for watching today's episode of…" then everyone screamed, "Kisa's Hell House! Yeah!" Shizune smiled and Ton-Ton oinked, "See you next time!"

Hope you guys liked it, the songs were (In order):

A whole new world

Farewell Song

Byakuya White Night

Smile

The song from Sasori's date is called You are my love


	14. AN Please Read so you don't get lost!

Author Note:

Thanks for reviewing all of you!

Anyways, Dont' worry getting bored of the little one-shots? Well, they're finally done! Anyways, the next chapters will be about Sakura' birthday, the unknown Prince's arrival, Sasuke's brainwashed becomes slightly unwashed. Sakura might be falling be falling for the Prince, the Prince might be working for Orochimaru, Karin will be DAMNED TO HELL I tell ya DAMMED TO HELL. Oh the drama of it all!

Just just you know, in my fic, Orochimaru does not die that is why Sasuke still has his curse mark and so does Sakura. And in the last few chapters, yes I said the last few chapters, you will finally find out how the title Cruel Angel really fits in.

Well, that's all!

Ja ne!


	15. IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Sorry to say this but my computer with all my data was deleted and it will take a while for me to restart the next chapter. Maybe a few days or so, I'm really, really sorry about this but blame my computer! Anyways, thanks for the comprehension and I promise to finish as soon as I can!

Ur Fav Author,

MoonlightShadowMaiden

Preview:

"This can't be happening," murmured Tsunade as she rubbed her temples and looked at Sakura's cold and stoic face in front of the nobles. Her eyes had lost its spark once again.

Sakura's eyes widened as Yukito kneeled before her and kissed her hand tenderly, "I love you with all my heart, my princess." she blushed at the contact.

_'What is happening to me... I... I can't seriously like this guy!'_


	16. Pain p1 and Beauty and the Beast

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

So I'm really sorry this is so short but this is only part 1 so you don't have wait that long until the next chapter comes up, it may be short also, but it's the best I can do for now, I'm again really sorry. So, here's Pain part 1 and Beauty and the Beast.

Chapter 16: Pain Part 1

Sakura smiled to herself while going shopping with her best friends. It was the morning before the party and everything was set a day before so all that was needed of course was for her to be pampered like a princess (which by the way she didn't like the idea!)

The girls soon separated to leave Sakura in the hands of the (evil) woman and her ten warriors to occupy her.

In Risa's House…

Karin gushed over her new dress, "It's fabulous!" (Sharpay much?) She looked at her new found dress and almost died, "What do you think Sasuke-poo?" he just nodded in response. Karin narrowed her eyes, "Anyways, I think I'm going to pamper myself before that witch's party so I could b e the queen!" she said taking money out of Sasuke's wallet, "Hon, I'll pay ya back… after we get married!" and they left the house, not knowing that Risa was just outside the door. She stuck her tongue behing Karin's back, "Boys… it's time to ruin this ugly's plans." Her two teammates came out from the shadows, they slowly entered the room.

Risa told them to mix the make-up products up while she was going to fry a bigger fish. She opened the closet door and looked at the expensive dress, "Sorry Sasuke… but I'll pay you back for this." Then she evilly took out a pair of scissors. The dress was dark purple that was way too revealing. There was no back, and the front barely covered her body since once going around her breasts they came right down. SO it looked like there was a curved V right down the middle that showed her belly button. The shoes were so high heeled that she would be taller than Sasuke.

Then… there were these gorgeous pairs of earring and a silver crown. The now said dress was ripped apart (if possible) the bottom that was jewel-studded, the gems now lay on the floor gleaming. As for the accessories? E-Bay! "These would cost a lot…" and she put them in her sack, "It's time to go boys… but leave no traces of your work!" and they started cleaning like professionals. Leaving no traces in their wake. "Perfect… now it's time for me to go to a ball."

The evening…

Everyone was chatting away in their beautiful formal attire. The girls were all dressed in black (check for a picture with Naruto girls in black formal dresses; Kisa is wearing the one Sakura's wearing) They were beautiful, but the man attraction right now wasn't the younger girls… but the older ones. Tsunade was elegant in the dark blue dress that (thankfully) covered up her cleavage… for the most part at least. Shizune was wearing a mini dress unlike all the others, it was a beige color, it ended at her knees with frills and a bow on the side. But none of the two girls could compare now to Kurenai and Anko. They were the spice to the party.

Kurenai wearing a tight red ball gown that revealed her slender legs, sleeveless no less to show off her toned muscles. And Anko, being one not to wear dresses, instead wore purple pants that were so large that it could be mistaken for a long skirt, the bodice she was wearing revealed her (not so existent) chest. (Anko glares 'Not true!') yup they were the man attraction… for now.

Oh, I almost forgot… Karin. She was the clown of the festivities. Clad in her usual attire which was dirty, the only thing marvelous about her was well… the fact that she had a great manicure! Now… the moment you've all been waiting for… the rise of the Queen… the Princess of the ball!

The double doors opened to reveal a Sakura in a beautiful white gown. It was sleeveless and ran all the way across the floor; but gown or not it still had shoulder pads (just see Princess Serena's dress from Sailor Moon) she had two silver rings on each of her middle finger that was attached to a glittery cloth that was attached to the back of her dress. Her hair, to everyone's surprise was curled slightly and the crown with an emerald embedding the front simply gave her a beautiful glow. She took a few steps, "Thank you all for coming and please enjoy the party!" everyone clapped and went back to their activities.

Then suddenly a messenger bird flew into the room and onto the sill of the lifted borders, Sakura approached it and took off the message that was addressed to her, it said,

_Meet me at 9:00 on the balcony._

That's all t said, Sakura was confused, but didn't think about it long. Sai went up to her, "Happy birthday ugly… care to dance?" he asked, Sakura just hit him playfully but accepted. They waltzed around the room, "It's beautiful, but not to my taste." Sakura frowned, "And you still haven't changed a bit Sai… but glad to know you appreciate the dress!" she said sarcastically. He smiled a fake smile and the music neared its end. Sakura curtsied and Sai bowed, but before they separated he went up to her ear and whispered, "I wasn't talking about the dress…" he smirked and left.

Sakura gaped, "Y-You… me?" she asked helplessly, but good for her, her knight in shinning armor came to the rescue. Neji kissed her hand, "May I have this dance?" she laughed, "Of course!" It was now 8:30, almost time to meet her secret Rendez-vous. She danced with Itachi and Kakashi for the last thirty minutes. Actually, talking to Kakashi wasn't as bad as she thought.

(So… everyone had a special moment with Sakura… so this is for all Gaara and Sakura lovers!)

Beauty and the Beast

The clock struck 9:00 and she went out on the balcony waiting. "Boo!" she fell back, "What the hell!" she cried out and he just chuckled, "Gaara!" she gasped. He smiled, "You… you're not supposed to be here! You aren't even supposed to leave Suna!" he looked at her, "I don't care… you look beautiful tonight." Sakura frowned and put her hands on her hips, "No sweet talk! You are marching… or flying… to Suna right now!" he shook his head in defiance. "No… I want to stay here with Sakura-chan!" he said like a two year old and at that Sakura couldn't help but laugh.

"But I'm glad to see you made it…" she said and he kissed her cheek, "Glad to see you're glad to see me… now… come fly with me!" he said holding out his hand for her to grab. She sighed, "Fine… only because it's my birthday and I want everything to go smoothly. She took his hand and they sailed away into the cool night. She stood in front of him with his arms around her waist and his head resting on her shoulder. "I hate heights… but I always liked the feeling of the clouds beneath me…" she said quietly, "You wish to fly… and I have that power." He whispered to her, half day dreaming and half listening. She smiled, "Yeah… I wish my wings were free…" he opened his closed eyes… and kissed her cheek one more time. He spun her around so she was in his embrace, "Let me realize that wish then…"

**Let me be your wings  
Let me be your only love  
Let me take you far beyond the stars  
Let me be your wings  
Let me lift you high above  
Everything we're dreaming of will soon be ours  
Anything that you desire  
Anything at all  
Everyday I'll take you higher  
And I'll never let you fall**

They were dancing together on top of the glimmering sand.

**Let me be your wings  
Leave behind the world you know  
For another world of wondrous things  
We'll see the universe  
And dance on Saturn's rings  
Fly with me and I will be your wings**

She smiled softly at him.

**Anything that you desire  
Anything at all  
(Anything at all)  
Everyday I'll take you higher  
And I'll never let you fall**

You will be my wings  
(Let me be your wings)  
You will be my only love  
Get ready for another world of wondrous things

We'll see the universe  
And dance on Saturn's rings  
Heaven isn't too far  
Heaven is where you are  
Stay with me and  
Let me be your (You will be my) wings

They soared up into the sky; he looked at her endearingly and kissed her. "My princess… will you ever be able to love a beast such as me?" She touched his cheek, "You are not beast… you are just misunderstood… like most living beings." They smiled at each other and landed back onto the balcony and entered the house to share another dance. At the moment where they went in the air around them tensed, and once again Sasuke's heart thumped inside of him.

His eyes widened and his hand slowly reached up to try and stop her but his head began to hurt and he ran away from the flirting Karin. _'Why isn't my body responding?' _he asked himself. Then he could feel a presence next to him… and to his surprise it was Sakura. She was looking out into the night. "Sasuke…" he jumped at the sound of his name, "I don't know what Karin did to you…" she faced him, "But I'm sure that this isn't what you want." _Damn right I don't!' _he thought bitterly, cursing Karin.

She looked down, "I just wanted you to know that… I'm glad you were able to come… and I wish you the best with Karin." She said as she left. Those last words gave a painful pang to Sasuke's heart, and he tried to reach out at her retreating form… but his body just stood there emotionlessly. _'No! No! Sakura, come back!' _he was a prisoner in his own mind, not being able to do anything… and watching the one you love get further away from your reach… that is the most painful of experiences…

That kind of pain is even worse than knowing she doesn't love you back. The sheer truth was hard to realize. The pain of not being able to do anything was unbearable to him. He'd rather die than live like this forever. And as he slipped out of consciousness, the image of Sakura's smiling face appeared in his head.

Sakura heard a thump behind her and looked back, and then her eyes widened, "Sasuke? Sasuke?" she ran over to him and shook his shoulders, "Sasuke, can you hear me?" everyone noticing the dilemma came over, "What's wrong with him?" Sakura shook her head, "I don't know… take him to the hospital… I'll be right there." She said, and the party was officially… ruined.


	17. Pain part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

I am sooooo sorry this came out so late. I had to change computers and my data got messed up and I lost half of my savings so once again, don't blame me! Anyways, here's the new chapter of Cruel Angel:

Pain: part 2

'_The pain that courses through my body cannot compare to the pain that my heart feels. I can feel her… I can see her… she's yelling my name saying that I shouldn't give up. Give up? What little I have…' _he was currently in the hospital on the bed with Sakura by his side trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Sasuke…" she whispered as she checked him over and over again. The nurses brought Karin in then left again. Sakura's bangs covered her eyes and she turned, very slowly towards the slut. "Tell me and tell me now. What.Did.You.Give.Sasuke?" her voice was low and dangerous. Her white dress tainted with a slight red as due to running through Konoha in high heels and tripping.

"I…I…umm," Sakura looked up with those familiar cold eyes. "Just tell me and I will let you go." She compromised. Karin looked at Sakura and averted her eyes to Sasuke's form. She bit her lip, "I used Kyoukai… it's made of various plant roots, vanilla and lithium (I have no idea what that is whatsoever so if anyone of you does… it probably isn't what you think…)

Sakura thought about the ingredients. "Get out.Now." Karin stood her ground but then seeing her death wish being written in front of her, she hightailed it out of there. Sakura turned around swiftly checking one more time. Kyoukai, isn't a poison based pill. It's more of a jutsu than anything else. It lets you enclose the person's real mind in the body and render it useless in battle… then if you're a woman or a man wanting someone… all you have to do is make physical contact and voila, a zombie of your dreams.

She got started on making the potion while taking care of the patient that seemed to have a fever. Sasuke was still unconscious, but his mind was racing, _'Karin… I will kill that woman.' _He punched the invisible bars holding him prisoner. Suddenly the sound of a bell chimed through his ears and he looked at the cock… midnight. Then he looked over to the still working Sakura, mixing the ingredients with precision, stopping for a second to dampen the cloth on his forehead again, then she went back to work.

'_Sakura… she's going to get sick if she keeps this routine up,' _he mumbled concerned. A small explosion could be heard and he quickly glanced over to Sakura from his half open eyes. She was coughing and trying to get the smoke out of her view before she restarted again. Sasuke watched helplessly at the woman he loved. She didn't need to do this. After all… she still had her admirers, his brother, the Akatsuki, the Hyuuga, and even the Kazekage. The clock chimed 2:00.

'_Sakura, stop this or you'll fall over from exhaustion.'_ He quietly pleaded.**"She can't do that… or won't do that," **A voice suddenly rung inside his head. His imprisoned self looked around the shadows. A light silhouette could be seen, _'Who are you?' _he asked. The person seemed to smile and stepped out of the shadows. His eyes widened and out came… an 8 year-old Sakura in a summer kimono. It was white with you guessed it, sakura petals as the main design. _'Who are you?' _the little girl smiled.

Sasuke's POV

The little girl was smiling a small smile, but still a smile. "Hello… I am Mia, one of the guardians of Sakura's heart."I raised an eyebrow, "Guardian, huh?" she nodded, "I am one of the restraints that keep people away from her heart… like you once used to be." I twitched at that statement. "Okay… what are you doing here? In MY mind?" I asked, utterly confused as to why she of all people would be in HIS mind… well… that sentence often comes into mind at night. I shook my head from my utterly INNOCENT (ahemdirtyahem) thoughts.

"She won't do that." She repeated and he looked up. Mia walked slowly towards his invisible cell. "She will never give on you." I shook my head, "She's utterly stupid for wasting her energy on me." Mia's eyes hardened, "Is that so? Is a life worth nothing to you? Is your life worth nothing in your eyes?" she asked firmly. Sasuke looked down, 'That's not what I meant… I meant she shouldn't be wasting _her _life for mine." Mia's eyes softened, "You're really worried about her… but right now, she's more worried about you than her own being. You should know by now that Sakura is a selfless person willing to give up her life for another's at any time. No matter who, no matter where." I nodded, "She's an angel come from heaven." Mia smiled bitterly, "No… she's an angel come from hell." I couldn't believe what I was hearing; Sakura's own guardian just stated that Sakura was a devil… with wings!

Mia looked up to my shocked face and realized what she had just said, "Oh, no, I didn't mean it in that way! I meant… well… ano… it's really hard to explain." She mumbled. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. She's a selfless person, who has the strength of a dragon, the intelligence of a sage and most of all… a heart made of gold."

Normal POV

"**That's why she'll never give on you! You were not only her childhood crush… you were her teammate… her comrade… her friend… and most of all… you're her family." **Sasuke smiled at that thought. _"Thanks Mia."_ The petite princess grinned widely like Naruto would. **"No problem! So, promise me that you won't give up! Sakura will always be by your side… and know that you have a place in her heart… and you have been forgiven... and you're not alone."**

Those words were the words he's been longing to hear since his childhood… 'You're not alone.' Simple, obvious… yet comforting. He was taken out of his reverie when he heard an overdramatic, "Finally!" Mia smiled, **"See? She didn't give up… now let her see your smile!" **Mia said as she held out her hand for him to take. He obliged and took it. Sakura poured the liquid down Sasuke's throat.

Mia's and Sasuke's hand shone a white flash and everything for him became hazy.

He soon woke up to a messed up room full of spilled water, a bowl and a cloth on the table beside him, the smell of herbs in the air, and a bottle that was giving away relaxing smoke. So this was aromatherapy.

His eyes opened and it felt like it's been ages since he last saw the light. It was morning and he smiled when he saw Sakura. Her left hand was resting near his chest and her other was serving as her pillow. Her eyes fluttered open and then widened, "Sasuke!" she jumped up and hugged him. He closed his eyes and hugged her back, "Thank you." He whispered to her and she smiled one of her real smiles.

The door opened suddenly to reveal everyone still in their formal costumes. "Yay! Teme's alive!" and we know who screamed that out to the world. Everyone came in looking happy and all tense, probably from sleeping on the couch for 10 hours; it was 7:00 now.

Everything went back to normal… at least for a few hours… of course… until…

Sakura was changing when a woman appeared then disappeared and left a scroll. Sakura took it and released the barrier.

_Meet me at the Hokage tower now._

_Tsunade_

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed in confusion but thought it big since that as one of the fastest messengers they had on a short distance range. She jumped out the window, thinking it nothing more than a simple letter. But… she had a premonition again. That was not good.

She knocked, a serious, 'Enter' was given and she walked through the door. Sakura's eyes glazed over in pure rage that was contained through a stoic mask. This was definitely Déjà vu.

Councilors sitting in a row on either side of her… two maids at the far end looking like lifeless dolls with pretty faces. Tsunade's eyes glazed over in anger too… and of course… a man standing before her, drooling over her.

And here's the famous line that was said every single time that even Ton-Ton could repeat…

"Sakura… meet Yukito Kirihara… he wants your hand in marriage."


	18. Deceiving Impressions

Sorry I'm so late, it's the revolution here and everyone's afraid to go out and well, I've been busy with my life!

Disclaimer: Me no own. Plot me own.

So here's the long awaited chap. 18!

Chapter 18: Deceiving Impressions

Sakura scowled mentally of who was in front of her. So this is the famous heir to the Kirihara Clan. By the looks of it, a bunch of idiots, this guy looked so full of himself! He was smiling at her, looking smug. Tsunade cleared her throat, "Alright, so Yukito, you may spend a week with Sakura until you get to know each other better.

Yukito had dark blue hair and light blue eyes and he was currently… gawking at her. He kneeled and took her hand; "My princess… be mine for eternity and I promise that I will make you the happiest woman on earth!" he kissed her hand and gave her a heart-melting smile. Of course being her, she was immune to it, to think that four years ago she would've blushed and hugged him.

She shuddered at her own thoughts but let them slowly pass. He snapped his fingers and one of the councilors came up and handed him the small box. He opened it, took out its content and put it on my finger, "To show you how much I love you already." It was an opal ring that went like an S around her finger… almost… like a snake.

She glared at the thing, but mustered up the force to say a brief thank you, trying, but I'm afraid failing at keeping her temper in check. _'Give me one good reason why I should not knock his brains out right now… that is, if he even has one.' _She transferred to Tsunade. Tsunade sighed, _'It can't be helped. Anyways, spending some time scaring the daylights out of him shouldn't be so hard.' _

Sakura rolled her eyes when he kept on blabbing about eternal love and all that CRAP! Tsunade smiled sympathetically but Sakura knew that she was enjoying this more than anyone else. No one might suspect it… but Tsunade loves dramas… especially dramas that end in humor…

Example…like 'Big Day number 1': The guy was obviously enjoying the fact that he was gonna get married. And being the first marriage, Sakura treated him nicely and all that… but finally he got on her nerves… and… she punched him. Poor guy, he's still in the hospital trying to recover from the shock of it all.

'Big Day number 2': nothing much to say really… he was… annoying, to say the least. Sakura was… halfway down the isle when she threw kunais at him and ran for it. That guy was unsurprisingly paralyzed, he would never walk again… good, because in his village, he always slept with multiple women at a time and the women thanked her so much… now the guy's being tortured to death.

'Big Day number 3': Sakura didn't even get on the isle before… the groom… ran away. He simply had fallen in love with someone else… and that someone else was Ayame, they of course met at Ichiraku and couldn't get enough of each other. Now, they're getting married in a year.

'Big day number 4': one of the funniest of them all. Sakura did in fact get down the isle and up on the pedestal. Yes… that went well… and just when the priest was about to say 'till death do you part' Sakura glared at him and he peed his pants. HAHAHAHA! XD

'Big Day number 5': it almost went the same way as 4… except that before he could say 'I do' Sakura magically drew a sword from her dress and pointed it at him. She smirked, he gulped and she slashed it down. Needless to say, the belt couldn't do much to support the pants once it was broken… so instead of the bride running away, it was the groom trying to hide his Barney boxers from his family and Konoha.

And then… the last 'Big Day' was a bomb! Literally! Before the wedding, the girls (Ino, Tenten, Hinata) planted bombs. But… the sidetracked Ino forgot to plug them in… so… they didn't explode… except for Hinata's… who mysteriously blew up… and it was coincidentally right under the groom and his pants caught on fire.

Now here we go… 'Big Day number 7' (WOW!)

So it always went like this, the groom comes, the couple talks, the couple arranges marriage, the couple gets ready for marriage, the bride goes down the isle… and something goes wrong and the bride runs away at that time, bride goes to house, plops down on her couch and watch a movie with her brides' maids! Nothing to it really, let's just say it's a bump on the road, an obstacle that could easily be removed.

And the sooner, the better, Sakura thought bitterly. It was unnerving. "Right… okay. Yukito will manage into your house." Sakura stayed stoic… I think, _'What the hell?! Why?! Why?!' _**'Yeah! Doushite?! Why me? Why us?! To Hell with him! ****Si je te trouve faire quelque chose que to ne devrais pas faire, tu vas le regretter!' **(a/n: sorry, I couldn't help but put in a little French! It means 'If I see you doing something that you shouldn't be doing, then you'll regret it!')

When Sakura got home… Yukito was greeted with a glare, "Ohiyo minna-san." And they all greeted her with a smile and pulled her away from her… grrr… fiancé. Sakura just smiled a weak fake smile at them. Yukito was looking around, "Oh, my god, you live with s-class criminals?! I should tell the Hokage about this!" and he was about to march right out when Sasori got in the way.

"Move aside!" he yelled pointing a finger towards him then the door. Sasori just glared and was not moving. "Why I out' to!" but a small hand on his arm stopped him and looked at his fiancée's pouting face. Her bottom lip was sticking out and her eyes were big. "K-kawai…" he whispered and simply fainted from the shock.

After he fell to the ground Sakura broke out in gags saying she was gonna throw up. "At least it works." "What works?" Sasori had seen the look and glared at Yukito. Sakura just stayed quiet for a minute and turned to them with the same face with watery eyes and they held their noses to keep from nose bleed. They turned away and she laughed freely.

"That was priceless!" she laughed and fell back and sat onto Yukito's back with no remorse. Everyone smirked… but then scowled when Yukito suddenly woke up and turned which made sakura stumble and into his arms. "Oh, Sakura-Hime…" he blushed and looked away saying more things about 'kawaii' 'bride' and 'forever'

Sakura just stayed quiet but stood up and went into her room and slammed the door, "My Pr- but he was cut off when something blocked his mouth. Everyone rolled his eyes when he began to chock and didn't even _think _to try to _pull it out_. They shook their heads in shame; they knew that if he was this helpless with his life, he couldn't possibly take care of Sakura, even if Sakura could take care of herself, she doesn't have time to take care of this big BABY!

A week later… (explaining later)

Sakura was sitting in the dressing room, clad in wedding dress. Though… unlike the rest… she wasn't happy. Heck, she was never happy. This… would probably be the end of her. She knows that if she doesn't comply… she shuddered… she wouldn't even think of the result.

The four brides' maids entered and looked very worried, "Sakura? It's… almost time." They knew that something was wrong the moment Sakura told off the plan to send this guy to hell. Something was terribly wrong, but… they couldn't do anything about it, they didn't know what the matter was. The four girls just had a feeling that this wasn't going to end with them happily watching Titanic and crying their eyes out afterwards.

They looked at the bride, she looked emotionless and dull, like a doll. She stood up, taking the bouquet of irises in her right hand and proceeded to walk out of the changing room. "Arigatou… minna-san," were her words to them as she walked by and their eyes widened. This was a nightmare.

They didn't have time to think about it anymore as the music that cued their entrance played. Hinata with Naruto walked down the isle in a periwinkle dress down to her ankles, no shoulder and a flower placed neatly in her hair. Next to come was Tenten and Neji, her dress was down to mid-leg, the same color and her two buns were adorned with ribbons. Ino and Sai walked down afterwards, she was in a dress that ended mid thigh but a transparent fabric fanning out to the floor. Then there was Temari with Shikamaru, her dress ended below her knees and her usual hair was put up in a ponytail.

They all held their breaths as the bride's song came on and the double doors opened elegantly and out came the bride alone. She was breathtaking. Her hair was put at the back of her head in a upwards roll that seemed very tight (like cinderella's) there was no crown with her veil. She had on two veils, the end of one on the right side, the other on her left side, then at her back, they crossed and the other end was tied onto her index finger, the rest flowed to the ground. The white dress was shoulder less with lace bordering it and it brushed the floor.

She got to the pedestal and the ceremony began. "Do you… Yukito Kirihara, take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife from sickness to health, till death to you part?" he smirked, "I do." The reverend turned to the pink-haired Kunoichi, "Do you, Sakura Haruno, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, from sickness to health, till death do you part?" she looked up, took glanced at the awaiting audience and found that her boys, including Sasuke, were all looking at her with despair in their eyes.

A lone tear fell from her eye, "I do."

A week before…

Everyone was glaring daggers at Yuktio who was looking as clueless as ever and decided that he would spend the night in Sakura's room. He knocked then let himself in, "Darling!" Sakura looked up from her paperwork and groaned mentally, "You need something?" she said through gritted teeth, "Yes, I will sleep here tonight!" he exclaimed. Sakura twitched visibly and controlled herself to not punch the living daylights out of him.

She just ignored him and continued on her work, "Are you listening?" he asked, no answer was given. He became angry and couldn't hold himself. He stomped over to her, grabbed her wrist and forcefully pinned her against the wall, "Now you listen here." He started with a deadly voice and Sakura's eyes widened. He ran a hand down her shoulder, "You and I will get married whether you like it or not. Got it? And if you ever think otherwise and think up some plan to stop this…" he chuckled darkly.

He let go of one of her wrists and showed her something that made her pale. "You see? Now, if you don't comply with my wishes… you know very well what will happen. And it might be worse." He gave kiss on the shocked girl's neck as she stood there, bewildered with mouth slightly agape. He smirked that he could get her like this, "Come, you've had a hard day…" she couldn't do anything… and for the first time in five years… she was scared.


	19. Night of Nightmare part 1

Here's chap 19 4 all of U!

Disclaimer: not mine.

Chapter 19: Night of Nightmare part 1

She was scared.

It was the truth.

As she slept in a light night gown next to this… seemingly harmless man, but never judge a book by its cover. Sakura had made the mistake of letting her guard down and now… she was afraid. She shook a slightly under his arm that was over to stomach and the one around her waist. She thought about the previous day and the days to come.

Sasuke had been out of the drug effect, Karin was in prison again and Sasuke returned to the hateful news of her engagement. Yukito seemed harmless the first day, he couldn't dodge a punch and she ignored him most of the time. The second day though, he began to lose his temper because while they were discussing wedding material, one of the boys just wants to turn his soon-to-be bride's attention away.

The third day, he was slightly different, effectively putting up a shield in his room so no one could get in and thankfully it was soundproof. The fourth day though… the boys were past matters… but the bride… it was far from over. She constantly ignores him and pays half attention to what he's saying or not paying attention at all! He snapped and with the marriage only three days away, he couldn't take it anymore. He snapped.

Sakura was restless; in two days… she would get married to him. The morning came and she became the emotionless teen once again. Yukito, while she was trying to sleep, mumbled words to her because he knew Sakura's room wasn't sound proof and that there was a microphone somewhere in there. "You will pretend to fall in love with me tomorrow and it better not be out of character. Show some emotion only for me and only me. Your show of affection towards another in this mansion will be the end of Konoha, got it?" she nodded in understanding; this guy had too much power to be killed. If she killed him… she would have committed a crime for he was not a ninja and his demeanor said so.

In the past 24 hours, Sakura got to know the _real Yukito. _A man who's bark matches his bite. He had this all planned. He would look like an innocent snob prince who would look for his princess, no knowledge of ninjas or weapons and no way of defense, he was just a human. If she killed him… not only would she go to prison… but destroying someone that big without a reason… is execution. Sakura knew the laws and every little detail and print.

The village was simply astounded when she was nice to him. She showed him the little signs of affection that said 'I love you' and that didn't go well with anyone. The blush that supposedly appeared whenever he's near was only the red of rage she had for him, the smile that she wore for only him was fake and shallow, but to him, it made no difference as long as the villagers think it's a real smile.

The last day…

Everyone was astounded by her change of heart and even went to the extent of checking her for any symptoms of drugs or jutsu but to find none. It was her will that called him 'Yukito-koi' and 'Yukito-kun', it was her will she let him kiss her cheek and two times, on the lips. It was also her will… that she would happily sacrifice her life for her village… but really, she thought that she would be a sacrifice for her village on a mission and dying an honorable death… not breaking down to a man with secret intentions with her.

So when the girls asked what they were going to do with Prince Yukito… she shook her head and said, "You will not do anything to him. I love him." It took her all her ego and pride to say those words to seem genuine… and they all believed her, no exception.

Back to now…

"I do." As those two little words fell from her lips and with the golden band on her finger… lightning struck. The wedding was forcefully outside in Yukito's will. Everyone gasped when a familiar face appeared in the darkening sky. "Kabuto!" Sasuke yelled as he stood up. "Guess again!" his voice was very low, "Orochimaru!" was repeated from each shinobi's mouth. "Exact! Now that the kunoichi's mine, will you kill me?" Yukito chuckled, "Orochimaru-sama!" he yelled, "The girl is yours!" with that, lightning struck the Kunoichi who fell to the ground and everyone gasped and ran away.

"Damn it!" Neji shouted as he tried to go over to Sakura while sound nins attacked the area. Yukito picked her up bridal style, "Let go of her!" the brown-haired male shouted as he shot a kunai his direction. Yukito easily caught it, "Love to stay and chat, but did you know… that drinking a mermaid's blood makes you immortal? And look who we found, a strong Kunoichi that would provide us with a medic, a skilled fighter, and the mermaid's blood running through her veins for Orichimaru-sama!" he jumped on an awaiting horse and sped off through Konoha in the raging storm.

Neji tried to get in the way but sound nins blocked the path, "Damn it! Get the hell away!" Just then, sand killed the ones blocking the path, he looked to his side and there standing proud and tall was the Kazakage. "I'll go ahead," he said urgently and Neji nodded trying to fend off the nins that were blocking his path, too.

The others weren't doing better as well, they heard and saw the horse with a distinct white swooshing past them and tried to end this quickly. With Yukito, Sakura was regaining consciousness, "Finally awake, cheery blossom?" she recognized the voice that was dripping with smugness. She looked around her only to find that she was paralyzed and thus couldn't move. "You will behave like a good girl, now won't you?" he asked with a manic smirk on, "Yes… you will stop the people following us… and you will kill them." She narrowed her eyes, "I would never."

He chuckled, "Oh, but you will." She felt a sharp pain on her shoulder where the curse mark is, "What makes that curse mark special, you see Sakura-chan… is that Orochimaru-sama can control your every move when you are unconscious and most of all… weak." With that, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck and blacked out. Soon, the curse mark pulsed and spread through her body by instinct, _'you will kill them… you will kill them all with your hands.' _The order was sent to her head as she opened her eyes. Yukito stopped the horse as Sakura's eyes showed no pupils, just a clear ghostly white.

She jumped off the horse and started walking towards the approaching chakras coming towards her. Yukito looked at the now lifeless doll, "Too bad… I really liked her." Just then a kunai went whizzing past him. He looked in alert around but only found his loyal servant… ok… maybe not _that _loyal. "What is the meaning of this, oh, it's _you_?" The cloak that was always on the servant fell to the ground to reveal Jiraya himself. He was sent on a mission to find out more about this mysterious 'Prince' and with his attitude, he deemed him harmless… but he should've known, the guy already knew it was him and already made his plan work to fool everyone.

Yukito smirked, "Konoha's foundation can break down with only a word from me…" he warned, showing the earpiece to contact the nins to blow up Konoha's foundations and everything with it. "No!" Jiraya yelled and Yukito smirked.

Back to Sakura…

She was walking slowly with half-lidded eyes, the curse mark growing across her body with each step. She stopped when her body sensed the familiar chakras of Itachi, Neji, Sasuke, Deidara, Sasori and Gaara together in front of her. They all gasped at the sight.

Sakura was in her now tattered wedding dress, her hairstyle almost falling apart but loose strands randomly appeared here and there. The most shocking though, was that the curse mark was now all over her body. "Sakura?" Itachi asked warily, but he got no answer. Sasori tried to approach her only to stop when she turned to him with a cold gaze.

Their thoughts stopped when the sound of a blade was heard. In Sakura's hand was a katana and in one minute, she was slashing her way, trying to dismember them. 'Sakura's' were heard as they dodged the cutting edge of the blade that was very well sharpened. Surprisingly next, Sasuke sparred her with Kusanagi when she was aiming for his heart. Sasuke had a sad look on his face, "Sakura, it's me… stop this… please." He pleaded but that moment of not paying attention earned him a jab to his side, he hissed in pain and jumped back.

Neji tried to reason with her with failed attempts. She just kept swinging the katana around trying to hit them and all they could do was defend themselves. She suddenly disappeared; they looked around for a chakra signature and were surprised when she suddenly appeared from the sky crashing into the ground, creating a huge crater around the area. They landed and looked helplessly at the one who they were trying to protect.

She was a zombie now, and they were sure that Orochimaru was behind all this and vowed to kill the man. All their thought went flying out the window when Sakura dropped to her knees on the ground and stayed still. They thought it was over… but oh… it was far from it.

To their horror, purple chakra emanated around her body much like Sasuke in the Forest of Death. The curse mark started to mold together as she was beginning to transform. "Has this ever happened before?" Sasuke asked, for he knew how painful it was. "No, never, Sakura never let her emotions get over her better judgment. She has never let herself go." Neji answered as the marks melded together and made her skin a ghostly white in the moon that suddenly lighted up the darkened sky and they realized that it was Sakura changing the time.

"What's going on? The moon is out!" Deidara exclaimed over the rumble of the ground shaking beneath them. Sasuke squinted to get a better view of Sakura, "It's probably a side affect. I don't know the details about this curse mark but it has the power to change time into the period where the powers are most powerful… the nighttime." He answered them.

Sakura's head shot up as the purple chakra faded and instead a spiraling wind was present. Her skin now pale as the moon. The wind stopped and all was silent… she slowly stood up… and immediately, a pair of wings appeared behind her back… one was white and the other was black. The first layer of her dress already fell apart to leave her in a simple white dress with ripped edges.

What shocked them most was that when she opened her eyes, they were a clear white and her hair turned into a light pink. Everything was silent now… the night was beginning to start and she soared up into the sky, the moon serving as a circle, then, a white ribbon formed around the moon, she held her arms out in front of her and began chanting something, soon the ground began to tremble and broke out into a full force earthquake.

They looked helplessly as they had to flee the surrounding area so as to not get caught by the rocks and ruble flying everywhere. They just didn't know what to do… and with one last pitiful look at the figure, they made their way to safety.


	20. Last Chapter

So here's the last chap. I have no excuse for the lateness, just my lazy mind refusing to work...

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it and thank you for all the reviews and supporters!

Last Chapter: Night of Nightmare (part 2)

It was a nightmare, to say the least; none of them knew what to do. Hiding behind the shadows and trees, they just stood there. But someone wasn't about to give up.

(**a/n**: Okay, just a note before I go on… at first, it was supposed to be a SasuSaku fic… I simply adored that couple, but then, I got addicted to multiple couples for Sakura (cause she's too good for only one!) then, coming near the end, I didn't know which couple to end it with and there's no time for a poll since this is the last chapter so… I decided that if it started as a SasuSaku, it'll end as a SasuSaku. Sorry for the fans of the other couples! But I'm sure that from now, I'm not gonna be writing fics for only one specific couple with Sakura but multiple, so if you like SakuraXall the hot boys, I'm gonna be posting some in the future! Now back to the story…)

Sasuke was not gonna give up now! He's not gonna lose her, too. With a deep breath, he charged out into the open and screamed her name. His screaming got her attention and she smirked evilly, "Come out to play, did you?" she flew over to him, katana at hand. He blocked her and she just pushed harder. He threw her back before pinning her to the ground. She scowled at him, "Oh, what a brave one!" suddenly, a bright light engulfed them and when the Uchiha looked around again, they weren't surrounded by rubble and broken trees anymore, instead, it was a barren land as far as the eye can see, just a couple boulders here and there.

Using his distraction as a getaway, she kicked his stomach and jumped back. She dropped the katana and instead formed an energy ball in her hand. Sasuke's eyes widened as the ball was thrown to him causing a huge explosion around.

In Sakura's head…

"Wh-Where am I?" she asked herself. She looked around to see nothing but black. She was trapped in an invisible bubble high up in the air. She looked at herself, still in her wedding dress that was now in tatters. "Let me out!" she demanded. She heard a low chuckle behind her and she quickly spun around. Her worst nightmare appeared, "Orochimaru… so this was all **your** doing!" He sighed with a smile, "Of course it was… Sa-ku-ra-chan… it was so nice of you to submit to my will so easily." She tried to punch him but found that her hands and feet were chained to the surface of the 'bubble'.

He wagged his finger in front of her face, "Tut, tut, tut, you shouldn't do that." She growled, "Let me go!" he smiled his sadist smile, "Now, why would I do that when I'm having so much fun? Look…" he pointed to behind her. She turned and saw the image of herself ready to attack Sasuke and the explosion. "No!" she gasped out. "Oh yes… now… I think I'll leave you to see the end of your precious Sasuke-kun." He started to disappear when someone shouted, **"SHANNARO!" **he looked behind him to be hit by a double enhanced chakra fist! He flew back.

Inner Sakura growled, **"You're on MY territory you snake pedophile! Either you get out, or I'll make you!" **Sakura smiled, "Glad to have you back!" Inner grinned and look at Sakura up and down, **"Honey, the damsel in distress look really doesn't suit you. I'll take care of this guy and you try to take back your body, kay? Kay!" **with that, inner went back to fighting Orochimaru.

Sakura sighed and went back to watching as Sasuke tried to stand up only to be hit back down again, trying to talk some sense into her. Sakura pulled at her chains but it was no use. She winced when Sasuke hit a boulder after 'Dark Sakura' punched him. "Sasuke…"

Back to Dark Sakura and Sasuke's fight…

Man did she pack a punch! It felt like he was being hit with 100 tons of cement. _"Sasuke…" _he heard. His head shot up and looked around for the source of the voice. "Sakura…?" he asked, unsure of himself, after all, it might be his imagination with all the things that hit his head. "Sakura? Is that you?" he asked again. _"Sasuke… I'm sorry… I was useless yet again."_

He shook his head, "No, you weren't. You're the strongest and smartest, not to mention beautiful Kunoichi, Sakura. You did it for a reason." He whispered. _"Look at what I've done…" _she mumbled. "It isn't your fault… Sakura… I love you. And I would never, ever, leave your side."

In Sakura's mind…

"Oh, Sasuke…" she whispered. _"Let's go back home, Sakura," _He said with new found force. Sakura felt a spark of hope through her when he pronounced those words and she smiled, "Hai…" but her thoughts were stopped when she heard Sasuke shout in agony. Dark Sakura had managed to hit a blow to the stomach. "Sasuke!"

"_I'm alright," _he reassured her, but she wasn't at all. She looked at her Dark side that started to glow a strange red, her hands were up in the air above her and a flicker of blue light appeared in her hands. A bow and arrow appeared in her hands and she pulled it down to get ready to shoot. "No… no… no…" Sakura shook her head repeatedly. Dark Sakura was prepared to let go…

"No… no…" she let go… "No!" the arrow shot him bull's-eye in the chest. She cried… "SASUKE!"

Last Chapter: Home…

"SASUKE!" she screamed. Just then, in a burst of light, the chains that were holding her back broke and she was hurtled into the present time. She closed her eyes and when she reopened them… she screamed.

There she was, over Sasuke… with a katana going threw him… and she was the one holding it. "Sasuke!" she took it out and immediately started to heal him, not noticing that the curse mark was slowly fading. "S…a…ku…ra… y..you're… back." She smiled at him, "Yeah… just… just… don' talk… you'll be fine…" He nodded his head, "I… trust you." she smiled once again but couldn't help the tears from flowing out. "Sasuke…" she called. No answer. "Sasuke…?". Silence. "S-Sasuke?!". Still silence.

"N-No…" she put her ear to his chest… no beating. "No…" she quickly healed his chest injuries before hitting his chest with her fist, "No, you can't go." She hit his chest, trying to get his heart to beat once more. "Y-You can't leave me!" she shouted all the while trying to bring him back to life.

"No!" she screamed and started crying on his chest. A few minutes passed and she was still crying, "S-Sakura… you're hurting me…" she heard. She looked up, surprised, then hugged him, regardless of his injuries. "Sasuke! You're alive!" he smirked at her, it seemed so deja vu... that he didn't dare break up their little moment, "Of course I am… you… told me… to not leave you… and I promised… that I… I will never leave your side."

Her whole body shook and she slapped him across the cheek. "You idiot! You can be just like Naruto at times, you know!" his eyes widened, "Don't compare me to that dobe!" she stuck her tongue out, "I can compare you to anyone I like!" he stood up, his hand on her shoulder for leverage. She stabilized him with her weight.

Sasuke smiled, "Let's go home…" Sakura looked up and smiled also, "Yeah… I love you." Sasuke chuckled, "I know." She punched him lightly and he winced, "What the hell woman!" Sakura stuck out her tongue once more, "Hmph." Sasuke sighed and laughed before capturing her lips, "I love you, too."

She squealed and jumped him.

"Ah! Sakura!"

"Ha ha ha!"

Sakura Haruno had succumbed to Sasuke Uchiha... once again. I guess it really was meant to be destiny for them to be able to be together after all they've been through... and though at first, it seems like the fairytale has ended... but their journey together has just begun... well... I'm just that cliché...

And would it be too cliché if I ended this story with... Happily ever after? If so... too bad...

And they lived... **Happily**...** Ever**... **After**.

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So, Cruel Angel stops here! I didn't have enough strength to write what the others thought of this! It would be torture to me, me a fan of all Sakura couples!

So… I hope you like it and I hope you don't kill me for the very late update!

Ciao!


	21. New Story

Hey guys! I know you're all like wondering, what the heck is this? Well, it's just to let you guys know that I have posted up a new fanfic, still a Reverse Harem with Sakura, of course!

The title is **Kuroi Namida** (Black Tears). You can, of course, find it on my profile. I know it' been a long time and I said I would post another story in the near future… well, I lied. Been busy with school! You all know what that is! xDD

Anyways, I hope you guys'll check it out and review! And I seriously hope that I didn't disappoint you guys with this one! Well, since you're still here, here's a little summary!

Kuroi Namida: Sakura, being fed up with being weak, asks to leave which Tsunade grants her. Follow her through her journey from going to different worlds, to living with the most renown S-class criminals of her time, and finally going home. But where exactly is home? Konoha? Akatsuki? Or one of the many worlds she has been to? She must choose in which world she belongs. SakuraxAkatsukixKonohaBoys


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